Your feet carry the bulk of your weight every day, wherever you go – whether you’re walking, running, dancing, or doing any other activities. This is the main reason why you should take care of your feet properly. So they could continue to do their tasks efficiently and help you move around well. Since it carries a lot of weight and stress on it every day. The feet are prone to injuries and discomforts which could affect your normal movement. There are plenty of foot-related problems – from a simple callus to gout and other more serious foot complications. Here are some of the most common foot problems and how to manage them.
Blisters
Blisters are usually caused by friction between the skin of the feet and the inner side of the shoes. This is really painful and every step is uncomfortable when you have this problem. It looks like a soft pocket of skin that is filled with clear fluid. Blisters are often caused by ill-fitting footwear. When you notice one on your foot, leave it to pop on its own than burst it. Be sure to apply an antibiotic ointment and cover it with a bandage to prevent getting infected.
Corns
When bony parts of the feet rub repeatedly against the inner part of an ill-fitting shoe, the results are corns and calluses. These are thick patches of dead skin cells that accumulate through time and make walking uncomfortable or even painful in some cases. To treat it, soak your feet in warm water and when the skin has softened, gently remove those patches using an emery board or a pumice stone. Be sure to wear good-fitting shoes to prevent them from coming back.
Bunions
Bunions refer to the bony bump that develops at the bottom part of the big toe. If you notice that your big toe is bending towards the smaller toes and there is a bump forming at the joint part, that one is called a bunion. Although the risk for developing bunions is affected by genes, trauma, and other foot problems, they are commonly caused by wearing footwear that is too narrow in the toe part. It can be treated with pain medications, paddings, and wearing shoes for bunions at the early stages but if those methods fail, you might need surgery to return your foot to its natural shape.
Plantar Fasciitis
The fascia is the ligament that connects the ball of the foot to the heel. When this ligament gets torn or inflamed, it causes extreme pain, especially while walking. This condition is typically accompanied by stiffness in the foot aside from the pain. During the early stages, you can use a splint at night to help stretch the problematic foot and a cold compress to alleviate the pain. However, when it is already worse, you might need to have surgery to treat it fully.
If the pain or foot problem feels severe, it is best to consult a podiatrist to help determine the right treatment that suits your condition best.
