The Surprising Summer Activity that Threatens Your Feet

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See if you can pass this quick, one-question test:

Which summer activity threatens your foot health the most?

a. walking barefoot

b. wearing flip-flops

c. eating ice cream

d. kayaking without shoes

e. mowing the lawn

Whatever you answered - we’ll give you credit. Let’s look at each activity individually.

Walking barefoot or wearing flip-flops

Feet are best served by protective, supportive shoes. We’ve already talked about some of the dangers of going barefoot and living in flip-flops all summer in a previous blog.

Eating ice cream

Too much of a sweet thing can expand your waistline. It’s not having to buy a larger size bathing suit that worries Monmouth County podiatrists Samantha Boyd, DPM, Hal Ornstein, DPM, and Joseph Saka, DPM. What concerns us most is the extra pressure placed on your feet when your weight creeps up too high. Too many pounds can lead to problems like flat feet, chronic heel pain, and tendinitis.

Kayaking without shoes

Skimming along the surface of a calm lake seems safe enough. But make sure your feet are protected with shoes when you’re carrying a kayak to and from the shore or if you’re paddling in rough waters, where the risk of capsizing is heightened.

Mowing the lawn

This may be the one you didn’t choose. And yet, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and others give us some very startling statistics about how many toe, foot, and lower limb injuries occur each year due to lawn mower accidents. Many of those injured are children who run into the path of a moving mower, who are riding in an adult’s lap, or who are too young to be operating a ride-on mower on their own and lose control.

Mowing the lawn can cause grave injuries and lead to tragic amputations of lower limbs, so be sure to

  • Keep young children indoors
  • Know how to operate your machine, stop it quickly, and use it safely on hills
  • Remove obstacles before mowing such as branches and rocks
  • Clean or repair it only when the motor is off

If summer activities cause you foot or ankle woes, contact Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center for expert care and treatment. With offices in both Howell and Jackson, NJ, late hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Saturday hours as well, you’re sure to find a convenient time and place for an appointment. Call us at (732) 905-1110 or contact us online.