Healthier Feet Are Within Your Reach

Happy New Year to all our Lake, Cooke and Roselle-Dupage county patients from us at Weil Foot & Ankle Institute! If you’re making resolutions to start the new decade, we’d like to encourage you to resolve to take better care of your feet and ankles this year. We tend to take them for granted until they don’t work properly. Fortunately, there are many ways you can improve your podiatric health—and they’re not hard to do!

Tips To Improve Your Foot Health

• Commit to a good, basic foot care regimen. Start by washing your feet every day with soap and water. In the morning, dust your feet with talcum or anti-fungal powder and at night apply a thick moisturizer to heels and soles.
• Keep feet dry. This will help prevent fungal infections. If you tend to sweat excessively, keep extra socks with you or in your desk and change as soon as you notice your feet feel damp. Dry feet completely after showering, particularly between your toes as this is often the starting point for athlete’s foot.
• Wear good shoes. Choose styles that are well made of high quality, breathable materials. Features to look for include good arch support, a cushioned insole, firm heel counter and non-slip tread. Keep heel heights to two inches or less and avoid styles with narrow or pointy toe boxes.
• Keep your feet covered. Wearing flip flops or shower shoes in public places will help you avoid fungal infections. At home and outdoors, shoes will protect your feet from puncture wounds and cuts by sharp objects.
• Trim toenails appropriately. Keep nails short, but not so short that they start to become ingrown. Always file straight across with no rounded edges.
• Listen to your feet. If they hurt, contact our Bannockburn, Orland Park, Roselle or any of our other 16 conveniently located offices as soon as possible for an appointment. Our podiatrists will examine your feet and ankles and perform any tests necessary to diagnose your podiatric problem. They will then determine the best treatment plan to get you back on your feet as soon as possible.