You’re hard on your feet; let’s be honest, how much TLC do you really give them, except for an occasional pedicure? It’s time to start paying more attention.

Don’t go barefoot in a public shower

You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating. Gym showers and locker-room floors are a big-time breeding ground for the fungus that causes athlete’s foot, so be sure to wear flip-flops or water shoes. Take extra care drying your feet, too, working the towel in between your toes.

Your feet can clue you in to your overall health

For example, if the hair on your toes suddenly disappears, and the skin on your feet gets thinner or shiner, peripheral arterial disease (PAD)—poor circulation caused by a build-up of plaque in the leg arteries, may be to blame. PAD is a major red flag for heart problems, or a stroke, because clogged arteries in the legs are usually associated with blockages elsewhere in the body. Also, look out for extremely dry skin, and foot ulcers that don’t heal; these may be triggered by undiagnosed diabetes, since high blood glucose levels decrease sweat and oil production.

Pointy pumps are the worst

Shoes that push the big toe onto the smaller toes, set you up for bunions, bumps that form over the bone at the base of the big toe. The skin overlying the bunion may become red, irritated, and swollen, making walking painful. Your ideal high heels: ones with a wide toe box, and heels under 2 inches.

The length of your toes is a big deal

If your second toe is longer than your first toe (that’s the case for an estimated 20 to 30% of Americans), and this is me as well. Persons like us are at increased risk for bunions, hammer toes (ones that are bent downward), and even back problems, due to how you distribute pressure throughout your body. All the weight should push off your first toe, but when the second one is longer, it rolls and flattens, causing all types of foot problems. If you do have this condition (called Morton’s toe), talk to your podiatrist about the best kind of footwear for the shape of your feet, since ill-fitting shoes make the condition worse.

Toenail fungus is so stubborn

If your toenails have started to discolour, or are becoming thicker and more brittle, chances are fungus is to blame. While nails clear up in time by taking antifungal topicals, and sometimes orals, keeping your feet dry and changing sweaty socks can help prevent the fungus. It tends to thrive  in warm, moist environments, and can invade your skin through tiny cuts, or the small separation between the nail and nail bed. Therefore, proper foot hygiene can prevent it from rearing its ugly head in the first place.

It’s not your imagination: Your feet really are getting bigger

Even if you didn’t put on weight, chances are you went up at least a half-size in the past decade. Feet become both longer and wider as you age because the tendons and ligaments that link tiny bones lose elasticity. Get your feet measured at least once a year so you know your true size.

Wearing shoes that don’t fit properly can cause more than discomfort, it can create or accelerate a bunion or cause blisters, among other issues.

People with diabetes need to take special care of their feet.

If you have diabetes, check your feet daily for blisters, cuts, redness, and ulcers. If wounds are neglected, you might get an infection, which could lead to serious consequences, including amputation. It’s not rare: Every year, more than 70,000 Americans with diabetes lose a foot. Diabetics who lose a foot have a 50% chance of dying within 5 years.

If you keep spraining your ankle…?

Some people are just genetically predisposed to weak ankles. You might not be lacing your sneakers right.

If you have high arches and get redness and pain on the top of your feet, skip the two middle holes in your lacing and loop them vertically on the sides of your shoes instead. You’ll lose a little stability, but what you gain in comfort will make it worthwhile.

Use deodorant down there

Use deodorant for foot odour. Yep, the same kind of roll-on that you apply to your armpits can help prevent the foul smells caused by the sweat glands in your feet.

 

Your feet mirror your general health . . . cherish them!