29 Mar Prioritise your Feet this Summer
As the weather warms up, so do the treatment chairs at your Podiatrist; this is because there is a surge in foot and leg complaints due to increases in activity levels following more sedentary, colder months. One of the most common complaints we’ve recently been seeing at Sydney Sports Podiatry is heel pain, with some patients saying there are three or four colleagues in their office suffering with the same pain!
Prioritise you feet this summer some simple foot care tips:
Footwear
We know you like to wear your thongs in summer, but if your feet, ankles, knees or lower back ache when you were thongs (or sandals for our ladies) – then you need to consider the impact your shoes are having and make a more appropriate choice. There is some good news for thong lovers – you can buy arch support thongs online or from the Athletes Foot. For our ladies who love summer sandals, check out the sandal and heel ranges from Podiatrist designed footwear companies: Frankie4, Bared and Ziera.
Stretch
Calf stretching is SO important – in fact, over 96% of foot and leg issues result from calf muscle tightness. You can start by simply dropping you heel over the edge of a stretch – hold for 30 second, repeated three times on each leg, twice per day.
Gradually increase exercise
There are a lot of injuries that result from doing too much too soon – its like going to the gym for the first time after 6 months and expecting to lift the same weights you were lifting 6 months prior; your muscles are no longer conditioned to that load and will most likely get injured if you try. So, check your expectations, return slowly by increasing activity no more than 10% each week – if you’re in pain during, after and the next day then you might have pushed yourself too hard.
Shoes/thongs in public areas
Fungal foot and nail infections are commonly spread in communal areas including public bathrooms, swimming pools and gym floors. Prevention is better than cure – ensure you’re wearing shoes so you don’t pick up any nasty fungi. If you do notice any scaling and itchiness of the skin, or nail discolouration be sure to see you Podiatrist ASAP to discuss an appropriate treatment plan.
Heel balm/ moisturiser
Open shoes allow moisture loss, which may cause dry and cracked heels. In summer enclosed shoes aren’t always an option so make sure you’re regularly moisturising your feet – oil-based moisturisers are best; however, some people require a bit of extra TLC from heel balm.
If you want some expert advise about your podiatry problems or just want to get back on track straight away, contact Sydney Sports Podiatry or book an appointment now.
Thanks for reading,
Sydney Sports Podiatry
1300 474 306