How to Keep Your Feet Healthy and What to Look Out For

It’s surprisingly easy to forget about your feet and how healthy they are, but it’s actually very important to pay attention to what’s going on with them. Your feet are the main thing that separates the rest of your body from the ground. Often, you don’t realize there’s a potential issue with them until you feel pain or other difficulties.

So, how can you keep your feet healthy and what can you do if you do have problems?

Unexplained Pain

If you have unexplained pain in your feet, you should act the same way as if you have unexplained pain anywhere else in your body, which is to go to the doctor. If it goes away in a few minutes, it could be a muscle cramp or a tinge, so you don’t need to worry about it. But if it doesn’t go away and makes it hard to function, a doctor might be able to help.

Different types of pain might have different causes. For example, your toenails might cause you pain for different reasons. You can look into the causes and treatments of toenail pain and, in some cases, relieve it yourself.

Another reason for foot pain might be an injury that you didn’t notice (bruises and even broken bones in your feet can go undiagnosed for a long time) or even an illness.

Footwear

Your footwear has a massive impact on your foot health and your comfort. If you’re experiencing a lot of pain or you have a health condition that can cause issues with your feet, it’s worth looking into orthopedic footwear designed to be more comfortable.

It’s also important to make sure that your footwear is always appropriate for what you’re doing. If you’re going on a hike, then bowling shoes won’t be your best friend. Always make sure that you have enough support to prevent injury, as well as cushioning for comfort.

Preventing Injury

As well as wearing the right shoes, you can look for other ways to prevent injuries. If you work out by jogging or doing something else that can put a lot of strain on your feet and legs, make sure that you give yourself time to rest when you need it.

Consider your technique so you make sure that you don’t hurt yourself. If you do get injured, stop and make sure your feet have the time they need to heal.

Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions can cause foot pain and other issues, which is another reason to go to the doctor. Your foot pain might be the first symptom you notice of a chronic health condition.

For example, gout is commonly caused by other health problems like kidney stones or diabetes, as well as risk factors like age and obesity. Arthritis is a common cause of foot pain, and is in turn often caused by aging.

With the right treatment, you can get your foot pain and any underlying conditions sorted out.