We all know how important it is to care for our hearts, but too often we forget about our feet. Our feet are one of the most important parts of our body. They carry us through our days, and it’s our responsibility to care for our feet as an important part in taking care of our overall health and wellbeing.

Basic foot care at home

Taking care of your feet at home is easy. Here’s how:

1. Perform daily checks for cuts, sores, swelling and infected or ingrown toenails. If you find any of these problems, keep an eye on them and make sure you make note every day of whether they’re getting better, or getting worse.
2. Clean your feet with soap and warm water, but don’t soak them too long because that can dry them out over time.
3. Speaking of not letting your feet get dry, moisturize them every day with a high-quality foot cream, lotion or petroleum jelly, but don’t moisturize between the toes. Keeping that skin dry will help prevent infection.
4. Wear loose, comfortable shoes.
5. Avoid flats and flip-flops as they don’t provide enough support for your arches.
6. At the same time, stay away from sky high heels and shoes with pointy toes.
7. Switch your shoes up so you don’t wear the same ones every day.
8. Trim your toenails straight across using a clean nail clipper. Then, take a nail file or emery board to smooth out the corners and prevent nails from growing into the skin.

When it’s time to see a professional:

1. If you have cuts, sores, swelling or infected toenails that aren’t getting any better and look and feel a little worse with time, reach out to a professional right away. Professionals like the team at Aldershot Foot Care are specially trained to recognize problems and take the steps necessary to prevent infection.
2. If you have diabetes and notice any corns or calluses, make an appointment to see your foot care nurse at Aldershot Foot Care. People with Diabetes are prone to more complications than others so it’s important that any corns or calluses are not treated at home.
3. If your feet swell or ache and that problem isn’t improving. Our team of experts can help determine what’s causing the problem and get you on the right track back to comfort.
4. If you feel numbness or tingling in your feet, it could mean nerve damage. This is a good reason to call your doctor and have some blood work done to rule out Diabetes, or make sure your Diabetes is in check.

There’s a lot that you can do to care for your feet at home, but many patients, particularly the elderly and patients with Diabetes, require a bit more care to keep their feet healthy and comfortable. If you would like to schedule an appointment to assess the health of your feet, call our team of experts today.