FOOT HEALTH TIPS FOR SENIORS

 

If you are over 65, then you have over 100,000 miles on your feet! Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean it’s too late for foot comfort. While you can’t trade in your feet like a new set of tires, there are lots of things you can do for your feet in order to walk in comfort:

  1. Wear good quality running shoes or the shoes designed especially for walking. Many seniors love to wear their running shoes all day long.

  2. Corns and callouses can be painlessly treated by a Chiropodist. Don’t use over-the-counter remedies as they can damage surrounding skin. Relief of pain is often instantaneous with a visit to a Chiropodist.

  3. Corrective procedures are being performed by Chiropodist in their offices to permanently remove such problems as corns, ingrown nails, etc. The treatment is virtually painless and you can walk right away.

  4. Gentle exercises such as moving your feet in circles or up and down help to improve mobility and flexibility.

  5. Calf stretching exercises reduce tightness in the back of lower leg muscles particularly with women who are used to wearing higher heels and change to lower heeled shoes. By leaning against the wall and placing one foot forward and one foot back, bend the forward knee and you will feel the calf muscle of the opposite leg stretch. Hold for ten seconds.

  6. Add cushioning to your feet. Soft soled shoes help, but consider an insole such as “Spenco” which is a thin flat foam insole that will add lots of cushioning to your feet. As you get older, the fat pad under the bones at the ball of the foot tends to get displaced forward and therefore reduces the cushioning at the ball of the foot.

  7. Consider having your foot mechanics evaluated by a Chiropodist. Structural imbalances that lead to bunions and callouses can be corrected at your age. A podiatrist can take casts of your feet and have an orthotic device fabricated to be worn comfortably in your shoes to reduce pressure to those areas that are experiencing excessive strain. A store bought “orthotic” is not prescribed to your foot but sometimes can lend a bit of help.

  8. Ingrown nails can be sore. The nail can penetrate the skin and act as a foreign body. Avoid chemical “cures”. Again a foot specialist can painlessly clip away a segment of the nail for immediate relief and then a procedure can be performed by laser to permanently remove the offending nail border while leaving the rest of the nail intact.

  9. Varicose veins are common in your age group. The best thing you can do for them is to elevate your feet when you can. The next best thing is walking. The worst thing is dangling your feet, at the side of the bed, for example.

  10. Circulatory problems are common particularly in diabetics. Your family physician, Chiropodist or vascular specialist can evaluate your circulation. Smoking is the worse thing for your circulation since it takes only one cigarette to reduce blood flow through your arteries.

  11. Walking programs are an excellent idea for exercise and fitness. Get clearance from your Chiropodist first and then once you have comfortable walking shoes or running shoes, start your program gradually and build up your distances slowly. Avoid hills at first or uneven terrain that can create an ankle sprain.

Keep walking, and by offering your feet a little extra care and attention, they should keep you going for many more miles to come!

Brought to you by Doctor John A. Hardy, owner of Toronto's foot clinic, Academy Foot and Orthotics Clinic.

 

PROFESSIONAL FOOT CLINIC

416-465-8737

Toronto, ON Chiropodist Academy Foot and Orthotic

752 BROADVIEW AVENUE Toronto, ON M4K 2P1 

Across from the Broadview Subway | Professional Family Foot Care