How many of us are wearing the wrong shoes and what’s the impact?

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National Shoe Fitting Week starts on 28th March 2015 and encourages the public to ensure feet are regularly checked and measured, especially for the little ones!

Your feet are one of the most vital parts of your body, and are required for everyday life. They take the entire weight of your body and very few people realise that poor-fitting shoes can not only lead to discomfort, but  infections, which can often cause problems in the hips, back and knees. It’s often our feet that are the one part of our body that we neglect to care for, despite national figures that it is one of the most commonly injured parts of the body.

Shoes that fit correctly can help prevent serious foot problems. As the day progresses, your feet expand and swell, so when you’re looking to buy news shoes try to test them after midday. Break in your new shoes slowly and wear them for 1 to 2 hours a day to allow them to get some purchase on your foot shape.

Five most common foot problems

Five most common foot problems

Corns – Small, hard areas that form on the top of the toes

Wide Feet – Wide feet are often an inherited feature

Bunions – A bony deformity at the base of the big toe. The toe often points inwards and poorly fitted shoes are thought to make the problem worse

Hammer Toe – Can occur from badly fitted shoes. A common deformity in which the toe appears bent

Ingrown Toenail – Occurs when the sides of the toenail grow into the surrounding skin

Foot advice

Richard Handford from The College of Podiatry gives his advice on common foot problems.

Why is it important that our feet are measured properly from a young age?

RH: As you would expect, compared to adult’s feet, children’s feet are not fully formed and still developing and so can easily be forced into too small shoes. Poorly fitting, too-small shoes will crunch up toes, rub the skin and contribute to problems with toe nails. Younger children are particularly vulnerable as they are less likely to complain.

What are the most common foot problems?

RH: Most common foot problems can be split into two categories, those affecting nails and those affecting skin.  

Nails – These can include ingrowing toe nails which can be due to the intrinsic shape of the nail or have been badly cut and sometimes a combination of both. Toe nails can be infected with a fungus similar to athlete’s foot on the skin – remember leaving nail varnish on for long periods can damage the surface of the nail as well.

Skin – Most commonly made worse by hard skin due to excessive pressure over an area of the foot and infections such as a fungus (athlete’s foot) or bacterial. Skin conditions that affect the rest of the body such as Eczema or Psoriasis can also present on the foot.

What are your top tips for keeping feet healthy?

  • Good fitting shoes
  • Dry properly – especially in between toes
  • After washing cut nails straight across, file them and always moisturise (but not between the toes)

It is essential to see a podiatrist if you are unsure about the health of your feet.

 

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