Our feet take a real battering during the course of our lives. Here are ways to prevent and treat common foot problems that plague us all.
Q: I have wide feet and find regular shoes too uncomfortable. Can you suggest a solution?
A: Wide feet are very common and squeezing into shoes that don’t fit you properly should be a thing of the past, because many retailers now sell shoes and boots in wide fittings. To find a perfect fit for wide feet, check out www.hottershoes. com that has fashionable footwear available in extra width fittings and www. simplybe.co.uk for a great choice of wider fitting shoes and boots.
Q: I have heel pain. What can I do to ease it?
A: Heel pain affects many people, and for some, the pain persists and becomes a daily part of their lives. The underlying position of your foot is often to blame for this condition and therefore advice on shoes and insoles is important.
Silicone heel cups can be used to treat morning heel pain as they provide excellent support and pain relief.
For a treatment that you can do yourself at home, Sally Feeney, a consultant podiatric surgeon at The Podiatry Clinic advises using ice.
‘Freeze a bottle of water and roll it under the foot from the heel to the toes,’ she says. ‘Apply for 10 minutes every evening. This will help to reduce local inflammation and will massage and stretch the plantar fascia, a soft tissue structure on the sole of your foot that runs from the heel to the toes and helps support your arch.’
In more persistent cases, other forms of treatment can be used such as steroid injections, night splints and below-knee walking casts.
Q: What causes bunions? And is there a way to correct them?
A: Bunions are a structural deformity of the great or big toe joint, in which the bones move gradually into a position of malalignment.
‘Most patients complain of pain, a prominent joint and problems with shoe fitting,’ says Sally Feeny. ‘Bunions are considered to be a progressive condition. Their cause is unknown, but possible factors include a family history, foot function and footwear.’
Podiatrists can give advice on appropriate measures to reduce discomfort, and surgical correction can be very effective in straightening the toe and alleviating the discomfort.
Q: I have a verruca, but am not sure how I got it. Can it spread?
A: Verrucas are reasonably contagious, especially in children and teens. They are most commonly spread in changing rooms and the virus enters the foot through any small grazes or abrasions. In order to prevent your chances of catching a verruca, wear flip flops in changing rooms and showers.
Q: My feet are sweating more than usual. What can I do to stop this?
A: Scientists have estimated that we have 250,000 sweat glands on the soles of our feet, so they do sweat more than other areas. In some people, though, excessive sweating can become a real problem. The condition, known as hyperhidrosis, is often passed down through families and can also affect the palms of the hands. Treatment involves washing feet daily with an anti-bacterial soap and using an enhanced antiperspirant to control the sweating. Work is being done with Botox, but it may require up to 36 injections to stop the sweating!
Q: Can a podiatrist do anything to help my ingrown toenail?
A: Treatment for an ingrown toenail is in fact a relatively simple procedure. If a small piece of nail is badly cut, the podiatrist can easily remove this section. This is usually a reasonably painless process or, if necessary, a local anaesthetic can be used. If an ingrown toenail becomes a recurring problem, then there is a small operation called a nail wedge resection which chemically destroys a section of nail and nail bed.
Q: After wearing high heels on a night out, the balls of my feet really ache. What can I do?
A: ‘If you know you’ll be out partying, ensure that your shoes have as much cushioning underneath the balls of the feet as possible,’ says Michael O’Neill, consultant podiatric surgeon and spokesman for the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists. ‘Or use Scholl’s Party Feet range, which is an effective alternative.’
Q: I’ve noticed a slight discolouration on one of my toenails and it has thickened. What is this?
A: It may be due to trauma, either from tight footwear or injury, such as stubbing your toe. Occasionally, if the nail is very thickened and yellow or brown, it may indicate that it has been attacked by an infection similar to athlete’s foot.
It could also be due to other medical conditions such as psoriasis, which can spread to multiple nails, so seek advice from your podiatrist who will indicate the underlying cause and outline a treatment plan.
Q: I have a small area of thickened skin on my foot. What is it?
A: It’s probably a corn or callus, which forms as a result of high pressures on your feet. Treatment involves gentle debridement to remove them. Your chiropodist or podiatrist will advise on measures to help reduce recurrence and appearance of these lesions. Measures include the use of insoles to reduce pressures and special foot creams to hydrate the skin.
Q: What causes athlete’s foot and how can I get rid of it?
A: ‘Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungal infection and is mostly caught in changing rooms’, says Michael O’Neill. ‘It is highly common among sports people – explaining where its name comes from. The infection produces areas of itchiness between toes and sometimes a spotty rash under the foot, or both. Avoidance is the best treatment for athlete’s foot. Wear flip flops in communal changing rooms and showers, change your socks frequently and use over-the-counter medication from your local pharmacy such as Daktarin Dual Action Spray used for treating feet and shoes.’
Q I’ve just started running. Will this affect the condition of my feet?
A: Running is a great form of exercise. Just remember; not too far, not too fast, not too soon and you will progress well! You need to make sure that the shoes you run in fit well and are designed for running. Try not to run in cross trainers or tennis shoes as they are designed for different sports. A good running shop will see you right on the best style of trainer for you.
Take time to warm up before and warm down after a run, and stretch out your calf muscles. This will help avoid Achilles tendon injuries. If you get foot or leg pain, then get a foot and leg assessment from your podiatrist who will look at how you run and walk and, where necessary, provide you with orthotics (specialised insoles) to improve foot function. They also help with knee, hip and lower-back pain.
Dr Chris says…
‘You look at pictures of celebrities and you can see that many of them have bunions. The main prevention is to avoid high heels.’
photographs: getty images, shutterstock
