Healthy, Happy Feet
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
What area of their bodies do many people simply forget about or ignore? Their feet! There are many quick and easy ways to take better care of your feet, and some of them may even surprise you!
Your Pedicure at Home
Do you think you need to invest in an expensive pedicure to keep your feet in tippy toe condition? Well you don't. You may have the key ingredient to a in-home pedicure right in your medicine cabinet and you don't even know it. If you have a jar of Vaseline, you'll find it's a great moisturizer for elbows, lips and feet.
For a home pedicure, find a good foot file and use it on your heels after a long hot soak in warm, soapy water. Next, file away any dead cells, then smooth on a layer of Vaseline before going to bed. Be sure to put on a pair of white cotton socks to lock in the moisture and prevent the Vaseline from staining your sheets. Try this for a week, and your feet will feel baby soft and look better, too!
Do You Have Flat Feet?
If you have flat feet, also known as hyper-pronation, you should know this condition can lead to other foot problems; such as hammertoes, plantar fasciitis or Achilles tenditis. Flat feet lack arches due to a weak structure, and they cannot support the weight of the body properly. Many people suffer leg pain, knee ailments, shoulder pain and/or neck stiffness as a result of advanced hyper-pronation.
Years of walking on flat feet can cause structural changes to the ankles as well as the knees, hips and back. In addition, lack of shock-absorption causes an increase in pressure to these joints and may lead to pain, joint stiffness and arthritis. Lucky, there is a surgical option available to help treat this foot disease. The Sinus Tarsi Implant procedure- a small soft-threaded titanium device that is inserted into a small opening called the sinus tarsi – helps sufferers and reduces pain and other symptoms.
High Heels
Most women know the pain of walking for any length of time in high heel shoes. Unfortunately, most women endure the pain due to fashion, and they'll endure much more damage in their feet as they age. Sometimes, prolonged wearing of these shoes leads to "high heel feet," where the big toe forms a bunion and points toward the little toe, and the little toe points toward the big toe. Surgery can help straighten the toes, and the best treatment is to wear good fitting, sensible shoes, especially when walking for any distance.
It's not hard to keep your feet healthy, it's mostly using some common sense and at-home remedies for the best foot health you can possibly have.
