Tips for Happy Toes and Healthy Feet

Your feet take the weight of your whole body, so foot problems can quickly lead to discomfort and affect the way you walk. This can in turn cause knee, hip and back pain.

Research from The College of Podiatry shows that nine in 10 of us experience some sort of foot problem, with one in five admitting to suffering with foot pain often or constantly.

Podiatrist Lorraine Jones says: “What this research shows is that a huge amount of people are willing to put up with sore, aching and painful feet.

She adds: “Your feet shouldn’t hurt on a daily basis. If you are experiencing discomfort it is usually because you aren’t wearing the right footwear. You don’t need to put up with it so do seek professional advice.”

Here are 10 tips from the College of Podiatry to keep your feet in good condition and prevent problems:

Wash your feet often

Keep your feet clean by washing them every day in warm soapy water, but don’t soak them, as this might destroy your skin’s natural oils.

Dry your feet well

Dry your feet thoroughly after washing them, especially between the toes which is where fungal infections such as athlete’s foot can develop.

Moisturise and file

If your skin is dry, apply moisturising cream all over the foot, except for between the toes. Gently remove hard skin and calluses with a pumice stone or foot file – don’t overdo it though or skin will grow back harder than ever.

Cut toenails carefully

Trim your toenails regularly using proper nail clippers. Cut straight across, never at an angle or down the edges. This can cause ingrown toenails.

Change your socks often to avoid foot odour

Change your socks daily to keep your feet fresh. Anyone can get sweaty feet, regardless of the temperature or time of year. But teenagers and pregnant women are especially prone because hormonal changes make them sweat more.

You’re also more likely to have foot perspiration if you’re on your feet all day, if you’re under a lot of stress or if you have a medical condition called hyperhidrosis, which makes you sweat more than usual. Fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, can also lead to bad foot odour.

According to podiatrist, Lorraine Jones, feet become smelly if sweat soaks into shoes and they don’t dry before you wear them again.

Bacteria on the skin break down sweat as it comes from the pores. A cheesy odour is released as the sweat decomposes.

“Your feet sweat into your shoes all day so they get damp and bacteria start to grow. The bacteria continue to breed once you’ve taken your shoes off, especially if you put them in a dark cupboard. Then, when you put your shoes back on the next day, even if you’ve just had a shower, putting your feet into still damp shoes creates the perfect conditions for the bacteria to thrive – warm, dark and moist.”

How to treat smelly feet

The good news is that there’s a simple, quick, sure-fire solution to smelly feet. Read the original NHS article.

• Wash your feet with an anti-bacterial soap called Hibiscrub. There are lots of over-the-counter foot hygiene products at your local chemist, but Hibiscrub is the best one.
• Leave on the Hibiscrub for a couple of minutes, then wash it off.

According to Lorraine, “if you do this twice a day, you’ll definitely banish smelly feet within a week.”

She adds that you shouldn’t use Hibiscrub on your feet if you have broken skin, such as eczema.

Preventing smelly feet

Keeping feet fresh and sweet smelling is all down to good personal hygiene and changing your shoes regularly. To keep feet fresh:

• Never wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. Instead, wear different shoes on successive days so they have at least 24 hours to dry out.
• Make sure teenage boys have two pairs of trainers so that they don’t have to wear the same pair for two or more consecutive days.
• Wash and dry your feet every day and change your socks (ideally wool or cotton, not nylon) at least once a day.
• Keep your toenails short and clean and remove any hard skin with a foot file. Hard skin can become soggy when damp, which provides an ideal home for bacteria

If you’re particularly susceptible to sweaty feet, it’s a good idea to:

• dab between your toes with cotton wool dipped in surgical spirit after a shower or bath – surgical spirit helps dry out the skin between the toes really well – in addition to drying them with a towel
• use a spray deodorant or antiperspirant on your feet – a normal underarm deodorant or antiperspirant works just as well as a specialist foot product and will cost you less
• put medicated insoles, which have a deodorising effect, in your shoes
• try feet-fresh socks – some sports socks have ventilation panels to keep feet dry, and antibacterial socks are impregnated with chemicals to discourage the odour-producing bacteria that feed on sweat

Foot bugs in communal changing areas

Wear flip-flops to avoid catching athlete’s foot and verrucas when you use public areas such as gym showers, swimming pools or hotel bathrooms.

Take care with flip flops on holiday and in the summer

You can’t wear flip-flops all the time. They don’t provide support for your feet and can give you arch and heel pain if you wear them too much.

Foot pain advice for over-60s

If you’re over 60, foot care becomes even more important. Age takes its toll: your skin thins, your joints begin to stiffen and your feet become more vulnerable to the cold.

Not only that, but as podiatrist Emma Supple says: “Physically, it gets more difficult for us to get to our feet, and failing eyesight doesn’t help.”

Emma says: “Go to see a professional for a foot MOT every six months and never put up with foot pain as if it is normal. Your feet shouldn’t hurt.”

Shoe shop in the afternoon

If you are going to buy shoes from a local store remember to shop for shoes in the afternoon. Your feet swell as the day goes on and if shoes fit in the afternoon when your feet are at their largest, you can be assured they will always be comfortable.

Great advice from the NHS – read the original article here.