We all hope to age gracefully, but at some point in our life, our body will begin to feel the effects of years of stress and the natural aging process. Oftentimes the first or most obvious spot for these age-related issues to develop is in your feet. Our feet handle an immense amount of stress and strain every day, and eventually this wear and tear will catch up with us. With that in mind, we wanted to use today’s blog to explore some of the things that can go wrong with your feet as you age (and how to treat them).
Common Age-Related Foot Problems
Here’s a look at five conditions we commonly see in older adults who are showing signs of decades of stress on their feet.
1. Fat Pad Atrophy – As we talked about on the blog earlier this week, fat pad atrophy is a condition that commonly affects the feet of older individuals. Years of stress can gradually wear down the protective fat pad on our heels, leading to pain and gait dysfunction. Head on over to that blog for more information on how to prevent and treat this issue.
2. Ankle Instability – Ankle instability is a problem for people in all walks of life, but because the problem is rooted in an unaddressed ankle issue, many people end up ignoring the issue or compensating for it until they are older. Chronic ankle instability is born out of overstretched and injured ankle joint ligaments. Left untreated, you can develop pain, mobility restrictions and balance issues. Targeted physical therapy and switching to a more supportive shoe can do wonders for your underlying instability problems.
3. Ingrown Toenails – It may get harder to maintain your toenails as you get older, and if that’s coupled with wearing overly tight shoes, you may develop an ingrown toenail. Ingrown toenails can keep coming back if the problem isn’t treated correctly, and while there are some conservative treatments for correcting one during an early stage of development, sometimes you may need to have the nail addressed by a professional. Wear roomy and supportive shoes, and get help with nail care if the process is becoming difficult to manage on your own.
4. Bunions – Bunions have long been considered a condition that affects older women, but it can come for any person who wears overly tight shoes, especially ones that put abnormal pressure on your toe box. Shoes that push the toes together put excessive strain on the big toe joint, slowly causing it to shift out of a normal position. Once this shift has begun, it’s impossible to shift it back without surgery, although you may be able to slow or stop the progression through conservative means. Again, wearing roomy and supportive footwear is essential, especially in old age, as is maintaining a healthy weight to limit stress on the big toe joint.
5. Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that involves the deterioration of the protective cartilage in our joints. This degeneration can occur more rapidly in areas of high stress, like our ankles and feet. Wearing supportive shoes, maintaining an ideal weight and remaining active throughout your life can help provide the right type of environment to stave off excessive arthritic degeneration, although some is to be expected after decades of walking and moving!
For more tips on how to prevent or treat any of the above issues, reach out to Dr. Silverman and the team at Silverman Ankle & Foot today at (770) 475-2710.