The 52 bones in your feet make up one quarter of all of the bones in your body—so it’s no wonder that the health of your feet is of utmost importance. So important in fact, that April is National Foot Health Awareness Month. Almost everything you do involves your feet, so keeping them active, healthy and pain free is our number one concern.

Some general foot and ankle health care tips include:

1. Make sure you are wearing the proper shoes for your feet. We recommend purchasing shoes for running or walking at a running specialty store. These are highly specialized shoes and you need the help of a specialist to choose the correct shoes for you.
2. If you are diabetic, your foot health is extremely important. If you have diabetes, please follow our diabetic foot care tips. You should be seeing your podiatrist annually if you have diabetes.
3. Gradually increase your activity levels to avoid overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, and make sure you are wearing supportive shoes. If you are experiencing plantar fasciitis pain, the good news is that 95% of the time the pain can be resolved without the need for surgery.
4. Remember to apply sunscreen to your feet, getting in between your toes and on your ankles to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
5. Try to keep your high heel height below 2 inches, and make sure you have enough room in your shoes without rubbing or squeezing your toes. Use custom orthotics for support.
6. If you are experiencing nail color changes or thickening of any nail, you may have nail fungus. Toenail trauma, heredity and diabetes may lead to nail fungus. We have various options to help treat fungus and even eliminate it completely.

You can do your part in celebrating National Foot Health Awareness Month by assessing your feet for any changes or pain. It is our goal to help everyone find the best path to solving their foot and ankle problems. If you are experiencing any problems with your feet or ankles, please give us a call today.