Happy National Foot Health Awareness Month!
Did you know that each foot is composed of 26 bones (together both feet contain 1/4 of the bones in the entire body), 33 joints, and over 100 muscles and tendons? Or the average person, over their lifetime, will walk approximately the same distance as if they had walked around the earth 4 times.
Whoa! That’s a lot of miles.
According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population has at least one foot problem annually. It may be the result of poor fitting shoes, or the result of an underlying health problem such as peripheral neuropathy, diabetes or obesity.
The average person takes approximately 10,000 steps per day, which adds up to three million steps per year. We carry approximately four to six times our body weight across the ankle joint when climbing up stairs or walking steep inclines. Good foot health is essential for an active life.
Follow these tips to improve your feet health. After all, healthy feet leads to a healthy life!
- Check your feet daily for red spots, cuts, swelling, blisters, sores or other injuries.
- Wash your feet every day and dry them with care, especially between the toes.
- Wear properly fitting shoes that do not rub or pinch your feet.
- Wear socks with your shoes, and never walk barefoot or while wearing only socks.
- Get moving to increase circulation in your feet.
- Wear shoes with good support and a low heel. Keep high heels below two inches in height. If you like to wear flats or those trendy ballet flats alternate with shoes having good support. Make sure shoes have enough space without rubbing or squeezing toes. Remember the ‘thumbnail rule’ for space between end of shoe and toe and don’t forget your longest toe may be your second not your first. Use custom orthotics to provide arch support.
- Replace your working, walking or exercise shoes every six months or 500 miles in order to avoid foot and heel pain when the inside of the shoe begins to wear and lose support.
- Your feet flatten as you age. There is a great chance you will not wear the same size in shoes your entire life.
- Don’t play doctor! If you suffer a toe, foot or ankle injury, seek medical attention from a podiatrist. The sooner you are treated the better outcome you will have. Untreated injuries can result in bones not healing properly causing recurring pain, limited mobility and development of arthritis in the affected joints.
Now, it’s time to check your shoes, especially your work boots/shoes, because you spend majority of your day in your work footwear. So make sure they’re comfortable and fitted properly. We offer great safety shoes and boots. Get up to 25% off your order today!
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