Gout — a form of arthritis — has become more common in the last few decades in the United States. If you have sudden pain in your big toe or a swollen joint, don’t ignore it. Learn the typical symptoms of gout and what you can do to help prevent it.
As Arlington’s podiatrist of choice, AllCare Foot & Ankle Center is dedicated to providing the greater Dallas area with the best in foot care, treatment, and surgery. Your feet are the wheels to your wagon, so it’s our passion to keep you on your feet and moving with ease for many years to come.
But we’ll admit—nobody really wants to pay a visit to a doctor or podiatrist because it means something might be wrong with your feet. If you want to spend as little time at the podiatrist’s office as possible, follow a few of these good foot health habits to fend off fungal and bacterial infections and reduce the risk of structural foot injuries.
Purchasing supportive footwear is perhaps, the best decision you can make for your short-term and long-term foot health. Shoes with a cushy, supportive heel, a reasonable arch, and ample space for your toes will keep your feet in excellent shape for years to come.
Conversely, spending much of your time cramming your feet into high heels, ill-fitting shoes, or shoes without proper heel and arch support can lead to serious foot ailments like ingrown toenails, bunions, hammertoes, and flat arches—which could potentially need expensive and painful surgery to be fixed. Any major foot problem that needs surgery can keep you off your feet for weeks, if not months, causing inconveniences in your career and personal life.
To avoid problems with your feet down the road, invest in quality footwear early on—your feet will thank you for it.
One foot can have as many as 250,000 sweat glands—that’s a quarter million tiny holes secreting sweat into your socks and shoes. If you have particularly sweaty feet, you’re at a higher risk for chafing, fungal infections, and plain-old smelly feet, so it’s important to take care of these issues by using topical anti-moisture medications,
But we shouldn’t have to tell you that. Listen to your mother for once—wash your feet to prevent bacterial buildup and strange smells. Don’t forget to wash between your toes, too.
Improper trimming or your toenails can increase your risk of fungal infections and painful ingrown toenails. To avoid these ailments, cut straight across the nail without rounding near the edges. Trimming too close to the skin or the nail fold—this can cause the skin to detach from the bottom of your nail plate, which can be a painful nuisance.
Sharing shoes is perhaps the easiest way to develop a serious bacterial infection on your feet (this goes for sock sharing, too). Even something as simple as a pair of rental bowling shoes can drastically increase your chances of bacterial infections. When in doubt, use your own foot gear—better to be safe than have athlete’s foot.
Bare feet might be a trendy fashion statement in Boulder, Colorado, but that trend can cause a number of health problems by exposing your feet to sharp objects and bacteria. It’s critical to foot health to protect your feet from anything the public can throw at them, whether you’re at the beach, on the street, or in a public locker room, so at least throw on a pair of flip flops to prevent foot wounds and athlete’s foot from compromising your foot health.
Many foot ailments don’t cause a great deal of pain at first. But if they’re left unnoticed or unattended, these ailments could worsen over time. It’s critical to your overall health to monitor your feet regularly for foot ailments and fungus, and to check with your Arlington podiatrist if you suspect anything might be wrong with the structure or the skin of your foot.
It’s easy to avoid the podiatrist if you think you have a minor foot ailment, but it’s important to remember your ailment could grow much, much worse without proper podiatric care. Don’t risk surgery or severe foot ailments that can keep your off your feet—talk to your podiatrist sooner rather than later.
If you suspect you have a foot ailment, schedule an appointment with your Arlington podiatrist at AllCare Foot & Ankle Center. We provide advanced treatment options and expert advice for any and all foot ailments, and we’re dedicated to providing exceptional care for all of our patients. Plus, we’re happy to share even more good foot health habits with you when you stop by!
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