The beautiful days are back and with them, the time of sandals, mules and flip flops that reveal our feet. Tucked away most of the time, they are more than just an extension of the leg. Without them, it is impossible to walk, run, jump or dance. “In a lifetime, our feet allow us to travel nearly 2.5 times around our planet,” exclaims Djamel Bouhabib, pedicure-podiatrist and president of the French Union for Foot Health. Steps to take to take care of it.
We take care of it regularly
To avoid drought and calluses of the skin, but also cracks in the heel.
Advice : sand the excess skin layer at the heel with a pumice stone or a rasp (manual or electric). And this, after a lukewarm bath and only once every 10 days, because frequent sanding stimulates the production of stratum corneum. Then, at least 3 times a week, apply a moisturizer, “special feet”, specifies Djamel Bouhabib. Or “petroleum jelly, or even olive oil”, underlines Dr Tulio Sarron, doctor specializing in pathologies of the feet and ankle in the rheumatology department of the CHU La Pitié-Salpêtrière (Paris).
Important : do not put it between the toes to avoid maceration. If thewe have diabetes, do not sand yourself and consult a chiropodist.
We wash and dry them thoroughly
To avoid yeast infection and warts.
Advice : “Use lukewarm water and soap. No foot bath for more than 5 minutes, so as not to weaken the skin, explains Djamel Bouhabib. Wipe them well with a personal towel – yeast infection are very contagious – not forgetting between the toes to prevent maceration. And wait at least 5 minutes before putting on your shoes. “
Other actions against yeast infection: take off your shoes as soon as possible, do not wear the same shoes for more than two days in a row and put on socks made of natural fibers (cotton, wool).
We don’t cut our nails too short
To avoid the various traumas that may affect them as well as ingrown nail, the main cause of which is a bad cut.
Advice : “So that the nail does not sink into the flesh as it grows back, it is important to cut it straight by rounding the corners very slightly, without digging deeply into the furrows. And let it protrude from the edge of the toes on 2 or 3 mm. Use disinfected nail scissors. Do not alter the thin skin around the nails, the cuticle “describes Cyril Marchou, chiropodist and posturologist, delegate of the French Union for Foot Health (UFSP).
We wear good shoes
To prevent most foot aches: corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, Hallux valgus, claw toes, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, etc.
Advice : opt for shoes in leather or in flexible and breathable synthetic materials, without internal seams, with a space of 1 cm above and in the front of the toes, and outer soles with a steel shank (elongated part in the thickness of the sole). For women, avoid heels of more than 4 cm, for a good distribution of the loads on the foot. “Buy your shoes at the end of the afternoon, in order to try them on feet that have swollen a little,” recommends Dr Sarron.
We inspect them regularly
To prevent the development, or even the aggravation, of various disorders of the skin, nails or “architecture”.
Advice : “consult at the first alarm signal, such as the appearance of a crack between the toes, a sign of a yeast infection, or horn not yet painful, explains Dr. Sarron.
Be extra vigilant if the feet are weakened by age or by a chronic pathology such as diabetes, which can lead to a decrease or even a loss of sensitivity.
Consult once a year from the age of 75, as well as in the event of diabetes or visual disturbances “.
We walk … but not too much
To avoid repetitive injury and some pain favored by overweight: metatarsalgia, plantar fasciitis, etc.
Advice : “Make the equivalent ofhalf an hour’s walk rapid daily helps to strengthen them “, indicates Djamel Bouhabib.” Beware of excessive practice of sports with violent and repeated impacts (running, trail …), especially on uneven ground: this can promote plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis and stress fracture“, adds Dr Sarron.
Read also :
Plantar fasciitis: 5 exercises to relieve it
Heel pain: what is a heel spur
