Senior Foot Care

If you keep these five tips in mind, we’re confident that you’ll have a great chance at having healthy feet for years to come.

1. Regular Foot Checks – Get in the habit of performing regular foot checks at least once a week if not more often. Look for sores, cuts or changes to your feet. If these problems don’t seem to be healing, or if they are getting worse, set up an appointment with a foot specialist in your area.

2. Exercise – As we get older, our ability to circulate blood begins to decline, and your extremities are the ones who bear the brunt of this decreased circulation. But, if we exercise, we can help to push healthy, oxygenated blood to foot structures that need it the most. Even if it’s just 30-45 minutes of walking on a daily basis, it will help to keep blood circulating to your feet.

3. Keep Them Clean – Another simple but important tip is to keep your feet clean. Regularly wash your feet and scrub them with soap. Bacteria can make their way into wounds and cause complications, while sweat and dirt can contribute to rashes or the onset of athlete’s foot. You can usually perform your regular foot checks while cleaning your feet, meaning you can knock two of these tips out in short order!

4. Manage Your Blood Sugar – If you have diabetes or are considered pre-diabetic, it’s extremely important that you manage your blood sugar. If your levels get out of control, it can lead to nerve damage and inhibited healing in your feet. This is problematic for a number of reasons, but one of the main issues with nerve and circulatory damage is that you may not notice foot injuries as easily, and they may not heal very quickly. Left untreated, it can even lead to amputation of your foot.

5. Treat Small Problems – Finally, if you do notice an issue with your foot, ankle or toe, be sure that you proactively treat the problem. Catching and stopping small foot problems before they snowball into larger issues is key, especially as you get older. Most small problems can be treated rather easily, but if you choose to ignore them or try to push through the pain, the issue often gets worse, and treatment success likelihood begins to dip. If you notice a problem, call a foot specialist.

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New Year’s Resolutions For Your Feet

Here are five things you can do to help protect your feet in the new year.

1. Change Your Shoes – Unless you got new shoes for Christmas, you’re probably going to want to take a closer look at your shoe selection this year. Whether your everyday shoes are worn down or your running shoes have seen better days, consider upgrading to a more stable and comfortable shoe. You take millions of steps in your shoes over their lifetime, make sure they are protecting your feet!

2. Exercise – Controlled exercise is great for your feet. Not only does it help to strengthen muscle groups and pump oxygenated blood to your extremities, but it can also help you keep weight off, which takes stress off your feet. Be a little more committed to your exercise regimen this year, and your feet will thank you for it.

3. Begin A Foot-Focused Hobby – Aside from exercise like running or weight training, consider taking up an activity this year that helps to improve your feet health. Activities like yoga, Tai Chi or karate help to improve your balance and strengthen key areas of your feet. Challenge yourself to find a hobby that helps to strengthen your feet without it feeling like regular exercise.

4. Fall Proof Your Home – Falls are some of the most common ways senior citizens suffer serious injuries, so consider helping fall proof your home or your parent’s home if they could use it. Consider removing rugs, adding handles in the bathroom, switching to a walk in bathtubs and installing railings alongside every staircase, no matter how long the staircase. Also, try to make sure their driveway is free of ice or snow that could lead to a fall. This is easier said than done, but it’s worth it to help prevent a nasty fall.

5. See A Foot Specialist – Finally, if you’ve been having issues with one or both of your feet, even if it seems minor in nature, make it a point to set up an appointment with a foot specialist in your area. The sooner problems are taken care of, the easier they are to fully treat. You don’t need to deal with foot pain or numbness throughout the year, visit Dr. Silverman’s office and have the issue treated today.

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Protecting Your Feet in October

October is here, and that means the leaves are changing colors and the smell of pumpkin spice lattes is in the air. October also offers some unique challenges for our feet, from keeping them protected while prepping the yard for winter, to staying injury free on Halloween. Here are some ways to protect your feet in October.

Halloween – Let’s start with the marquee event of the month, Halloween. Halloween can be a great time for both kids and parents, but there are some things you’ll want to plan for to make the night safe and fun. For starters, check out this post on Five Healthy Halloween Tips For Your Feet and Body, or read up on some safety tips for the evening. Finally, if your child is dealing with a foot injury, learn how to make Halloween fun for them, or check out these fun costumes for kids who are stuck in a foot cast.

Surgery – We’re getting to the end of the year, which means your insurance deductible might be met, so if your doctor thinks you may benefit from surgery, now is when a lot of people look into an operation. If you’re considering undergoing foot or ankle surgery, check out these tips for preparing for your operation, and afterwards read up on these tips for having a quick and full recovery.

Ladder Safety – If you’re up on a ladder hanging Halloween decorations or pulling leaves out of the gutter, be sure to have someone else on the ground to support the ladder. If you don’t, you may end up with one of these three foot injuries commonly caused by falls.

Cold and Wet – We recommend that you check out these three blogs posts, which include how the weather affects your arthritis, why your feet feel cold and why your toes feel wet.

Next month, we look forward to winter weather, Thanksgiving and the annual Our Hearts to Your Soles event!

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Thanksgiving and Your Feet

Here’s a look at four common ways the Thanksgiving holiday weekend can stress your feet, and what you can do to prevent pain from setting in.

1. Long Hours Sitting – Many individuals who have moved for a job or for school will be spending a lot of time in a car or a plane getting back home this weekend. If you have a particularly long ride, your feet can suffer from poor circulation. If you have diabetes or poor circulation in your feet, make sure you wear compression stockings to help aid in circulation, and take advantage of your ability to get up and move around if you stop for gasoline or the pilot turns off the seat belt sign. Movement helps improve circulation, which is necessary for keeping your feet healthy.

2. Long Hours Standing – On the flip side, a number of people who are cooking a big meal spend hours and hours on their feet in the kitchen. From prepping the turkey, peeling potatoes, baking the pie and doing the dishes, you might feel that there isn’t any time to sit down. Long hours on your feet can overload and overstress them, so as hard as it may seem, try to find some time, even if it’s just for five minutes, to sit down. See if there are any tasks you can do while sitting, or better yet, ask your family for some help so you’re not doing everything all the time.

3. Watch What Your Eat – We know it’s not easy, but try not to overeat when the meal is served. Excessive carbs and sugars can contribute to the onset of inflammation in your feet, which can lead to pain. Also, if you suffer from gout, Thanksgiving is a very difficult time to avoid a flare up if you’re not careful, so go easy on the pumpkin pie and cocktails.

4. Shoe Selection – Finally, if you’re one of those people that goes out Black Friday shopping after Thanksgiving, make sure you choose a comfortable pair of shoes to walk around in. Find a comfortable and supportive shoe that contours to your foot and avoids overstressing one area. You’re going to be walking around on your feet for hours on end, so make sure your feet are comfortable. And whatever you do, don’t go shopping in high heels!

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Foot Self-Check Tips

Here’s a quick look at five ways to check your feet during your next foot examination:

1. The Appearance – The appearance of your foot is the easiest indicator of its health. If you notice any discoloration on the foot itself or in your nail bed, it’s a sign that something may be wrong. Aside from discoloration, look for other indicators like blisters or calluses which might suggest that you’re not wearing the right shoes. If you notice anything unusual, set up an appointment with a foot specialist.

2. Function – Now put your foot to the test. Put a dish towel or one of your kid’s Legos on the ground and see if you can pick it up with your feet. This helps to test their flexibility and range of motion. Once complete, stand on the edge of a staircase facing upwards and let your heel hang off the step. Lower your heel a bit so that it’s below the edge of the stair. If you notice any pain, you could benefit from some strength training exercises or a visit with a specialist.

3. Blood Flow – You can conduct a self assessment of how well blood is flowing to your feet. Do this by pressing down on the nail of your big toe until the color turns. Let go of the nail and see how long it takes for the color to return to normal. It should return in a couple of seconds. If it takes longer than five seconds, it could be a sign of circulation issues.

4. Sensation – The sensation test can be performed with the help of a pencil. Turn the pencil over and gently rub the eraser over all sides of your feet. You should feel the same sensation in all areas, and it may tickle a little on the bottom of your feet. This is what you’re supposed to feel. If one area feels different or dull, talk to your doctor.

5. Pain – You don’t need to test your pain sensitivity, but you should take note of any pain you’re feeling. Take a few steps, perform some range of motion twists and apply some slight pressure to all areas of your feet. If you notice any pain, set up an appointment with a foot specialist, because healthy feet should be pain free.

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