Expert Tips from Podiatrists in Sutherland Shire: How to Keep Your Feet Healthy

Our feet are perhaps the most neglected part of our body, yet they are the ones that carry us throughout our daily activities. As we age, our feet can develop various issues such as calluses, corns, and even more serious conditions such as plantar fasciitis and diabetic neuropathy. That's why it's important to take care of our feet and seek advice from professionals who can help us maintain their health. In this article, we'll be sharing expert tips from your very own local Podiatrists in Sutherland Shire on how to keep your feet healthy. These tips range from simple to more comprehensive measures. So whether you're an athlete or someone who spends most of their day sitting at a desk, these tips will help you maintain healthy and happy feet.

Importance of Foot Health

Our feet are a complex structure consisting of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons that work together to support our body weight and facilitate movement. Neglecting foot care can lead to several foot problems such as calluses, corns, blisters, and even more serious conditions such as plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and diabetic neuropathy. Maintaining proper foot health is crucial to prevent these issues from occurring. This includes keeping the feet clean and dry, wearing shoes that fit properly, avoiding high impact activities, and performing regular foot exercises and stretches. If you experience any foot pain or discomfort, it's important to seek professional advice from a Podiatrist who can diagnose and treat the problem.

Foot Care Advice for Athletes from our Podiatrist 

"Athletes are particularly prone to foot injuries due to the high impact nature of sports. Common foot problems among athletes include plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, stress fractures, and blisters.

To prevent these injuries, athletes should wear proper footwear that provides adequate support, cushioning, and stability. If the footwear can't achieve this alone, we would have to look into getting an orthotic device to go inside the shoe.

Another game-changer for a lot of athletes is proper rehabbing and recovery. Not enough people are aware of the therapies out there to enhance recovery from an injury or post game-day when you start feeling it all catch up with you. Shockwave and Laser therapy in combination has been doing more for my patient than any therapy I have ever encountered, and I haven't seen another Podiatry Clinic in the Sutherland Shire offer it. 

Last piece of advice is regular foot exercises and stretches to strengthen the intrinsic muscles and improve flexibility. These exercises should be done without shoes so you get the full range of motion and get used to stabilising your feet without any external aids. If you do experience a foot injury, it's important to seek out a Podiatrist who can provide a proper diagnosis and treatment plan."

Foot Care Advice for Seniors from our Podiatrist

"As we age, our feet undergo many changes that can affect their health and function. The fat pads on the soles of the feet thin out, making the feet more susceptible to pain and injury.

The skin on the feet also becomes drier, thinner, less elastic and more prone to cracking (fissures) and infection. This also leads to calluses, corns and rough skin.

To maintain healthy feet as we age, it's important to wear comfortable shoes with shock absorbing qualities, or a cushioned insole that provides redistributes pressure.

Regular foot care, such as moisturising the feet with a cream/spray that has a high urea content helps prevent dryness, callus and cracking."

Footwear Do's and Don'ts: Advice from a Podiatrist

"Wearing proper footwear is crucial to maintaining healthy feet. Ill-fitting or unsupportive footwear can lead to several foot problems such as Bunions (HAV) calluses, corns, ingrown nails and even more serious conditions such as plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and stress fractures.

When choosing footwear, it's important to opt for shoes that fit properly and are the correct size and width for your feet. As we age our feet widen and get bigger which most of my patients don't realise, so they end up wearing shoes a size or two too small for them and wondering why they are in so much pain!

My advice is avoid shoes with high heels or narrow toe boxes as they can cause foot pain and deformities. It's also important to choose shoes that are appropriate for the activity you're doing. So, running shoes should have good shock absorption and stability, netball shoes need that as well as ankle support, while hiking boots need to be very sturdy in the sole and have a lot of grip for traction. Not all shoes are made for the same purpose."

Tips for Maintaining Healthy Feet

In addition to proper footwear, there are several other measures you can take to maintain healthy feet.

These include:

- Trying to examine your feet regularly for changes including the soles of your feet.

- Drying your feet thoroughly, especially between the toes

- Trimming your toenails regularly

- Preventing ingrown nails by making sure the corners of the nails aren't sharp to touch.

- Performing regular foot exercises and stretches to improve flexibility and strengthen muscles

By incorporating these tips into your daily routine, you can help prevent foot problems and keep your feet healthy and pain-free.

When to See a Podiatrist

If you experience any foot pain or discomfort, it's important to seek professional advice from a Podiatrist. We can diagnose and treat a wide range of foot problems, from minor issues such as ingrown toenails to more serious conditions such as plantar fasciitis and diabetic neuropathy.

Other signs that you may need to see a podiatrist include:

- Persistent foot pain

- Changes in the colour or temperature of your feet

- Numbness or tingling in your feet

- Sores or wounds that won't heal

- Chronic or infected ingrown toenails

- A fallen arch

Podiatry Services Available in Sutherland Shire

If you're in Sutherland Shire and in need of podiatry services, a clinic like Foot HQ can help with:

- In-Clinic Services (located at Miranda).

- Private health fund rebates, Medicare rebates and Private Billing available.

- Home Visit Services.

- Private health fund rebates, Medicare rebates and Private Billing available.

- Medibank preferred provider services (HICAPS machine available in-clinic for on the spot claims).

- Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Services both in-clinic and at-home.

- NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) Services both in-clinic and at-home.

- Pensioner Discounted Podiatry.

- Podiatry for Seniors on Aged Care Plans (in-home podiatry only).

- NO GAP Podiatry (EPC eligibility criteria applies).

We offer a wide range of services, from routine foot care to treatment for more serious foot problems.

Closing Thoughts

Our feet are an often overlooked part of our body, and taking care of them is crucial to maintaining overall health, well-being and a high quality of life. By following these expert tips from our local legends, our Foot HQ Team of Podiatrists in Sutherland Shire, you can help prevent foot problems and keep your feet healthy and pain-free!