Get Your Feet Ready for SUMMER!

As June rapidly approaches, most of us are thinking of getting outside and enjoying the weather. After months of having our feet warm and cozy in our socks, boots, and shoes, there are several things to think about before we put on our sandals and flip flops! Nail issues- One of the big things that people notice after not looking at their feet all winter, is that their toenails are thick, discolored, or irregular. This may be due to a fungus, and it is important to be seen by a podiatrist for this. One of the most common ways to get toenail fungus is from your own skin if you have had Athlete's Foot or a fungal infection of the skin. Our feet can get sweaty over the winter while in boots for many hours each day, and Athlete's foot can commonly develop as itchy, blistered, scaling skin. If you had this over the winter, and now have toenail issues, you have have developed fungal nails from this skin infection. Further, pedicures are another cause for fungal nails. I suggest that people keep nail polish off their nails for the cold weather months to prevent toenail dryness. However, many people keep the nails painted and are shocked when they finally look at them without polish. When the cuticle is cut or pushed back, small tears can occur in the cuticle that allow normal fungi that reside in our socks and shoes to invade the nail. Additionally, it is possible that nail polish may have fungus in it from being used to on so many different clients. Thus, it is good to use your own nail polish for the toenails rather than picking something off of the shelf at your local salon. Skin issues- As mentioned in the last section, Athlete's Foot is common in the cold weather months. Warts are a virus that also love warm sweaty feet that have been in socks and boots all winter. If you see raised bumps on your feet or callouses that have black or red dots inside them, it is important to get your feet checked and treated (warts can spread!). Conventional corns and callouses occur in areas of pressure or friction on the feet, so they can also be painful reminders of winter shoe and boot season. There are treatment, padding, and shoe gear changes that can help with these too. Finally, soft tissue aches and pains and bone injuries can occur during every season when people change their shoe gear or activities. Going from boots and supportive winter shoes to sandals can create new aches and pains. The levels of heel and tendon pain always increase in my office during this transition. Flip flops and sandals without support contribute to this increase in foot pain. Also, people get much more active outside when the weather improves. This leads to an increased number of stress fractures from running and similar sports, and heel pain with cleat use for soccer, baseball, and softball. Get your feet feeling and looking great for the summer! oakparkpodiatry.com