10 Tips for Happy and Healthy Feet: National Foot Health Awareness Month

With 26 bones, 33 joints, and over a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments, our feet are the foundation for the rest of our body. Think about it: They allow us to bear an incredible amount of weight (1.5 times a person’s body weight with every step), transmit force, and perform everyday tasks we usually take for granted—standing, walking, running, jumping, dancing, kicking, climbing, and exercising. Are they a complicated structure? Yes. But they sure do make daily life easy. Therefore, we all need to be paying close attention to our foot health.

Many adults understand the importance of foot health. Yet, doing the little things to ensure happy and healthy feet is rarely top of mind. A study by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) stated that 77% of Americans say they’ve experienced foot pain. Still, only a third are diligent about protecting their feet and seeking expert care. With April being National Foot Health Awareness Month, our podiatrists want to show you how easy foot health can be.

Imagine Life Without These Foot Health Issues

• Bunions
• Warts
• Ingrown toenails
• Hammertoe
• Calluses
• Plantar fasciitis
• Nerve pain
• Neuropathy
• Irritated toes and feet
• Chronic wounds
• Neuromas
• Gout

Is your foot health not where it should be?  Request an appointment with a StrideCare podiatrist today. Our collaborative approach ensures you receive the care you need.

What Is National Foot Health Awareness Month?

National Foot Health Awareness Month highlights the importance of overall foot health, the challenges millions face daily, and tips to help everyone keep their feet in the best possible condition. While it is difficult to determine exactly who started National Foot Health Awareness Month, it is clear that everyone from the APMA to podiatrists, vascular specialists, wound care facilities, orthopedic surgeons, and other healthcare providers across the country have joined in the effort.

Collectively, these organizations, healthcare professionals, and others offer guidance from proper athletic footwear and how to get involved in walking days to prescribing custom orthotics, evaluating foot biomechanics, treating underlying conditions that lead to foot pain, and more.

Your friends at StrideCare are adding to those efforts by creating a multi-specialty care model for treating lower-extremity vascular and podiatric conditions. Patient education is also at the heart of what we do, so we’ve put together a few tips in hopes that you can experience more consistent foot health by following them.

Are you looking for relief from foot problems? Schedule a consultation with StrideCare’s expert podiatric physicians.

10 Tips for Happy and Healthy Feet

Caring for your feet and keeping them healthy is something you can do very easily from home, possibly eliminating dangerous complications. A few tips from our podiatrist experts include:

1. Don’t ignore foot pain — Occasional foot pain is one thing. Still, consistent pain, numbness, tingling, sores, etc., that don’t resolve quickly should be evaluated by your podiatrist as soon as possible. Left unattended, these signs of poor foot health can lead to life-altering consequences.

2. Examine your feet daily — Even if you consider yourself relatively healthy, check for cracks, peeling, injuries, and anything else that doesn’t seem right. And if you do spot something (bunions, blisters, wounds, etc.), don’t ignore it. This is particularly important for diabetic patients and those susceptible to diabetic foot ulcers.
3. Keep your feet clean and dry — When bathing, wash and scrub your feet thoroughly, including between the toes, to decrease the chance of various infections. After you’ve finished cleaning and drying your feet, put socks on to add an extra layer of protection. This practice also keeps existing wounds clean.

4. Moisturize your feet at night — To piggyback on the previous tip, moisturizing your feet after washing and drying them is a great way to keep the skin soft and prevent itching and cracking.
5. Keep your toenails trimmed — Carefully and regularly trim them by cutting them straight across and filing the edges. Avoid cutting them too short, as doing so could lead to ingrown toenails, infections, etc.

6. Exercise regularly — Getting up and moving around, even if for nothing more than a brisk walk every day, is a great way to promote blood flow throughout the body. Experts suggest walking for at least 30 minutes daily to keep the heart pumping and promote improved foot health.
7. Wear comfortable sneakers — This is especially true if you walk a lot or exercise regularly. Find shoes with plenty of toe room but still fit snug enough to avoid slipping and rubbing. It’s also important to replace your shoes every six months or at the first sign of excessive wear and tear (worn-out soles, holes, lack of support, etc.).

8. Avoid walking barefoot — Walking without shoes in the grass outside or for short distances every so often is fine. But doing so for long stretches or all the time increases your chances of stepping on a piece of glass or something else that could break the skin and lead to additional issues.
9. Maintain a healthy weight — As you carry less weight, you are not as susceptible to circulatory problems, heel and foot pain, arthritis, and stress fractures that can eventually lead to immobility and potential issues.
10. Rest and relax your feet — If you’ve been walking too much or spend a lot of time on your feet because of work, you must lie back and elevate your feet daily. You could also massage your feet with your fingers and practice gentle stretching exercises to keep them healthy and happy.

Trust StrideCare With Your Foot Health

We know your foot health is important to you. That said, it’s easy to get so caught up in everything at work and in life that you forget to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on with your feet. Maybe your toes and feet constantly feel irritated. Maybe you experience painful plantar fasciitis more often than you care to admit. Or worse, perhaps your foot health is so bad that you’ve got a few sores that struggle to heal correctly.

Our team of podiatry experts at StrideCare is delighted that you have chosen to read this article and are considering visiting with us. A consultation with one of our podiatrists can determine the type, severity, and location of your issues. Furthermore, our expert doctors and caring staff utilize the latest technologies and minimally invasive procedures to help our patients reclaim their lives.

As the largest multi-specialty network in Texas, StrideCare helps patients achieve improved quality of life from both common and complex conditions including diabetes vascular issues, peripheral arterial disease, venous insufficiency, foot neuropathy, varicose veins, diabetic foot ulcers, and wounds. And the good news is that finding someone to help near your area is easier than ever with over 50 StrideCare clinic locations across the state of Texas. We’re a Texas-based practice with each clinic locally managed.

At StrideCare, we are here to help, all while providing compassionate patient care. Please contact us at 866-552-4866 or complete the appointment form to schedule a consultation.

This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Prior to starting any new treatment or questions regarding a medical condition, always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider.

StrideCare serves North Texas and South Texas communities, including Addison, Allen, Anna, Arlington, Austin, Carrollton, Celina, Clear Lake, Craig Ranch, Dallas, Euless, Flower Mound, Forney, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Houston, Irving, Katy, Kaufman, Mansfield, McKinney, Mesquite, Midland, North Dallas, Odessa, Paris, Pecos, Plano, Prosper, Rockwall, Round Rock, Rowlett, Royce City, San Antonio, Sherman, South Dallas, Southlake, Stone Oak, Sugar Land, Sulphur Springs, The Woodlands, Waxahachie, Webster and more.

*Patient stories are true. Names and/or photos may be changed to protect patient confidentiality.