Quite literally, where would you be without your feet?
Well it’s hard to label any part of the body as being “less or more important” than another one, but our feet do indeed play a very important role in a lot of our bodily functions beyond the most obvious function of walking. Because of their unique position in support of essentially the entire body, our feet’s unique functionality requires some unique care and unfortunately the feet are indeed often neglected as an area to target for good health. The health of our feet remains vitally important however, even though they are indeed evolved to be quite resilient. Taking good care of the health of your feet could even put you in line for some other health benefits you may not have even associated with your feet.
Here are some good practices to implement daily for healthier feet:
Washing and Moisturising
Extra special attention should go towards cleaning your feet because the feet are most prone to coming into contact with some of the nastiest bacteria and fungi around. The most effective way to clean your feet is either to use a feet cleaner or to thoroughly clean them with soap. It has to be thorough enough (which means cleaning between the toes as well) to prevent the build-up of nasty foot-disease-causing agents like athlete’s foot fungus or toenail fungi. Moisturise well after washing so as to keep your feet healthily moist for as long as possible. Petroleum jelly works well for keeping feet healthily moist (not too moist that your shoes make for the perfect breeding ground for germs), and it also helps reduce the type of friction that could cause blisters, calluses and general discomfort.
Select the right footwear
Since we want to look good sometimes, it’s impractical to wear trainers 24/7, even though a pair of well-fitted trainers with good cushioning and ventilation is the best footwear for healthy feet. Either that, or if you’re lucky enough to live in a tropical area where you can walk on soft beach sand the whole day, walking around barefooted is the ultimate way to treat your feet well for anatomical health. There’s a reason why high-heels are only meant for prancing around in for only a few hours of a night out. Beyond the immediate discomfort, high heels can significantly impact the natural anatomy of your feet, creating structural disruptions that may lead to more serious problems. Extended wear can result in heel pain, placing strain on the feet and causing various foot problems. In some cases, it can also lead to plantar fasciitis over time. If you are not aware of what plantar fasciitis is, it’s a foot condition that is characterized by inflammation of the tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. However, to ease the pain caused by the condition you can use plantar fasciitis socks, which are specifically made to support the foot and heel. Plus, these socks can support your arc with additional padding, thus helping to relieve the pain of plantar fasciitis.
The ramifications extend beyond the feet, affecting the spine and neck, and even contributing to knee issues. In such cases, seeking care from podiatry clinics like OnePointHealth can be necessary. These clinics usually specialize in addressing foot-related concerns, providing expert guidance on mitigating the effects of prolonged heel wear and maintaining overall foot health. Podiatry clinics can also provide advice on proper footwear and insoles that can help to reduce heel pain. However, if you still want to maintain some “heel” in the shoes you wear to look good, some quality ladies boots will do the trick to supplement or even replace your really, really high heels.
Otherwise don’t die for beauty, or rather don’t kill your feet for beauty. Whatever design or style of shoes you wear, make sure they fit properly, otherwise you’re only opening a door up for some serious foot-health trouble. In the same way that high heels offer a bit too much elevation for the natural anatomy of your feet, a lot of flat shoes such as flip-flops offer too little elevation and don’t have enough arch-support. So it’s also just a matter of not overdoing any particular type of shoe that’s not shaped in a “natural” way, in correspondence to your feet.
