Health Network News

Foot health advice can provide information to help people prevent, identify, or treat foot health problems. Buying shoes, routine foot care, foot health problem signs and symptoms, and advice for diabetic patients are examples of topics that are often covered by foot health advice.

Foot health advice for preventing foot problems may express the importance of buying proper footwear. One foot health problem that can be caused by ill-fitting footwear is bunions.

Shoes that are too tight or too narrow can alter the alignment of the bones of the foot. The pushing of the bones along the outside of the ball of the foot can form bunions. Shoes that do not fit well can also cause blisters and corns.

Routine foot washing is important because it removes bacteria and dirt from the feet and helps the feet get the best use of moisturizer. After the feet have been wet, from bathing or otherwise, the feet need to be thoroughly dried including between the toes.

By applying moisturizer right after bathing and drying the feet, the moisturizer can lock in the moisture of the skin that has been enhanced by bathing. This can make the moisturizer more effective in preventing and treating dry skin. Foot lotions and moisturizers should never be applied between the toes.

Trimming toenails too short can cause ingrown toenails. A toenail that is cut too short may cut the skin as it grows.

Many home remedies for ingrown toenails can be found on the Internet or by word of mouth, however, many are ineffective. The best care of an ingrown toenail includes placing a small piece of sterile gauze between the nail and the skin, but this gauze must be changed at least daily to prevent infection.

People with diabetes need to be extra careful about the care of their feet. Diabetes can cause complications that affect foot health. Diabetics may sustain and injury, like a cut, to their foot that they might not feel.

Infection can result from undetected foot injuries. Many diabetic patients have difficulty fighting infection. The infection can become serious and develop gangrene which often requires amputation.