It's that time of year!
Summer Vacation Tips for Healthy Feet:
The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons offers 10 tips for keeping your feet safe this summer:
1.Wear comfortable shoes to the airport. You never know how long you will wait in line, how far you will walk to the terminal, or if you will have to make a mad dash to make a connecting flight. Loose-fitting flip-flops and sandals increase your risk of tripping, falling and spraining your ankle. Sprains should be evaluated by a foot and ankle surgeon within 24 hours to ensure proper healing. Many people suffer repeated sprains because they didn't see a doctor for previous injuries.
2.Wear socks with those comfortable shoes. Not only do socks protect skin from shoe friction that can cause blisters and calluses, they can also keep you healthy. You're required to remove your shoes before you enter the walk-through metal detectors at airports. Walking barefoot through an airport exposes your feet to bacteria and viruses that could cause plantar warts and athlete's foot.
3.Avoid bringing new shoes on vacation. They can be stiff and unforgiving. If you plan to dance the night away or do a lot of walking, wear shoes that will make your feet as happy as you are.
4.Check your children's shoes for fit and comfort.
5.Pack flip-flops or sandals, and use sparingly. Use them in place of walking barefoot in locker rooms and around pools, where you may pick up athlete's foot, a plantar wart infection or toenail fungus.
6.Pack an antifungal cream or powder. If you're staying in a hotel or using public pools, using an antifungal product can help prevent athlete's foot.
7.Place a towel on the floor before entering the shower or bathtub. This can prevent slipping when you exit. The towel will also help dry toes and protect them from infections.
8.If you are traveling more than two hours, be sure to stretch your legs and pump your feet. This will help circulate the blood to prevent deep vein thrombosis, or dangerous blood clots in the legs.
9.Consider wearing compression socks on the plane to help prevent blood clots and deep vein thrombosis by pushing the blood through the legs and back to the lungs and heart.
10.Pack a small first aid kit. Chances are you'll develop a blister from that long walk through the shopping village or scrape your foot on a piece of coral at the beach. Clean your feet with saline (eye solution), apply a small amount of antibiotic cream and cover with a band-aid or gauze. If you suffer a puncture wound, see a foot and ankle surgeon within 24 hours for professional cleaning of the wound to prevent infections and other complications.
Brachymetararsia
Brachymetatarsia is a condition in which one of the bones in the front of the foot is significantly shorter than the others. Although it may affect any of the five metatarsals, it most commonly affects the fourth metatarsal. Looking at the foot, it might appear that the fourth toe itself is shorter than the adjacent toes. Sometimes it may even appear as if the fourth toe is raised up, with the third and fifth toes touching each other below it. The condition occurs when the affected metatarsal bone fails to develop fully, or its growth plate closes prematurely. It is easily diagnosed with an x-ray.
Beyond concerns about the toe’s appearance, the shortened metatarsal may not contact the ground properly or carry its share of the person's body weight, resulting in pain and discomfort. It may also change the appearance and contour of the ball of the foot, making shoe selection difficult. In some cases brachymetatarsia causes no pain or discomfort, and may be treated with careful shoe selection. In others, surgical treatment may be required.
PROPERLY FITTING SHOES
You are the best judge of what constitutes a comfortable shoe. The following are shoe characteristics that are typically associated with a comfortable shoe:
1. A Well Fitted Shoe Shoes not only need to be the correct length to fit our foot, but they also must be the correct width. Shoe manufacturers and shoe styles often vary the width of their shoes significantly. Make sure that you wear shoes that not only fit the length of your foot, but also the width.
2. Stiff Sole A stiff sole minimizes excessive loading through the front or middle section of our foot. The opposite of this would be a highly flexible sole (ex. a slipper) that tends to disproportionately load certain areas of the foot.
3. Rocker Bottom Contour A smooth, slightly rounded contour to the sole of the shoe will allow more even dispersion of force through the foot as it moves through the walking cycle.
4. Wide Toebox In general, the front of the shoe should have enough space to accommodate the front of the foot without pushing the toes into uncomfortable positions .
5. Soft, Comfortable Uppers The material making up the upper part of the shoe, particularly that covering the toes and middle section of the foot, should be soft and somewhat flexible (ex. soft leather).
6. Soft, Comfortable Insert The bed that the foot rests on should be soft and accommodating to the foot. It may be necessary to buy a comfortable "over-the-counter" orthotic to replace the existing shoe insert.