5 Easy Tips for National Foot Health Awareness Month

If you are someone who only pays attention to your feet when you have a blister or sharp pain, you are not alone. However, National Foot Health Awareness Month is the perfect excuse for us at Goldsmith Podiatry to provide some golden nuggets when it comes to foot care. Here are some low-effort, easy-to-follow pieces of advice that can save you a lot of foot and toenail trouble.

Spend 60 Seconds on a Weekly Foot Inspection

You do not need a medical degree or fancy equipment to be proactive about your health. Once a week, maybe right after you shower, take just sixty seconds to actually look at your feet.

Check the tops, the soles, and especially the skin between your toes. You are looking for anything new: a strange mole, a patch of peeling skin, or an area of redness that was not there before.

Rotate Your Shoes to Give the Foam a Break

It’s easy (especially for the fashion folks): avoid wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row. When you wear a shoe, the foam cushioning inside compresses under your weight, and legend has it, it actually takes about twenty-four hours for that foam to fully decompress and return to its original shape.

What an easy way to give yourself max support.

Trim Your Nails Straight to Avoid Future Pain

When it is time to grab the clippers, avoid the temptation to round off the corners of your toenails to match the shape of your toe. This is the number one cause of painful ingrown toenails.

Instead:

trim them straight across and use a file to gently smooth any sharp edges.

Stop Walking Barefoot on Hard Indoor Surfaces

You might love the feeling of being barefoot at home, but walking on hardwood, tile, or laminate floors all day is surprisingly hard on your arches. Your feet were designed to walk on soft, natural surfaces like grass or sand.

Just find a comfortable pair of supportive house slippers or indoor-only sneakers. Your heels will thank you for the extra bit of cushioning.

Acknowledge That Chronic Foot Pain is a Warning Sign

The most important thing you can do for your foot health is to stop believing that foot pain is a normal part of life. Whether you think it is just because you are getting older or because you have a busy job, persistent pain is a signal that something is wrong.

Whether it is a dull ache in your arch or a sharp sting in your heel, your body is telling you to change something.

And we at Goldsmith Podiatry would be happy to listen.

If you’re looking for more foot care tips, give us a call at (212) 877-1002 so Dr. Howard Goldsmith, Dr. Rosanna Troia, and Dr. Kristina T. Ruff at Goldsmith Podiatry can help guide you in the right direction.