Common Feet Problems

Fungal Nail

1 in 3 customers suffer form fungal nail in one form or another. Are your nails yellow or brown and thickened and are you embarrassed about them being on show this summer.

Tea tree oil is the best advice I can give (a natural antiseptic).

A thickened nail will hold moisture and this will create a warm moist environment for bacteria, so visit you foot health care professional and get them reduced down in thickness, then when porous they will absorb tea tree oil right down to the nail bed. This can be repeated once a week initially then gradually down to once a month but as it takes a year for the nail to grow you should continue once a month, for a year, until fully grown out.

Ball of the Foot Pain – Metatarsalgia

This is usually described as a burning pain on the bottom front area of the foot, sometimes like a lump under the ball of the foot.

If you apply pressure to this area under the foot it is painful.

The tendons and tissues at the front area of the foot are progressively weakened if the ankle and arches are not realigned and supported.

Treatment is by the use of orthotics to support the arches and realign the ankle.

Exercises for the forefoot should be done regularly.

Heel pain – Plantar Faciitis

This is inflammation of the tendon running along the bottom of your foot from toe to heel. It is extremely painful and is described usually as a dull pain in the heel, more severe in the morning when you first put weight on your feet.

An orthotic to correct the foot and rest is the best treatment. Ice therapy several times a day, and excercises for the calf, toes and plantar fascia stretch are recommended.

Ingrown Nail

This is when the nail edge presses into the skin around it and may cut into the skin causing redness and swelling eventually severe pain and infection. This can be caused by pressure from shoes, and nails being cut incorrectly leaving rough edges, commonly made worse by running and exercise which will continually rub the toes against the shoes.

Pay careful attention to cutting your nails neatly finishing off with a file if possible and regularly trimmed before exercise.

Callus

This is hard skin that builds up due to rubbing and lack of attention. If hard skin is left untreated it will thicken loosing its supplety, so can crack and become sore and bleed allowing infection into the skin.

Once a week you should gently remove dry skin with a foot file or pumice and moisturise your feet regularly.

Corns

This is similar to callus and is caused by continued rubbing on a small area, so causing a pinpoint of hard skin which is a corn. This can build more layers deeper into the skin feeling like a stone in your shoe or a splinter under the skin.

Check shoes for a rough area or seam and avoid tight fitting shoes, foot files will slow down the build up but removal by your foot care professional is the best solution.