Dos and Don’ts of Excellent Foot Care

We’re getting back to basics here at Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center because it’s Foot Health Awareness Month. To have awareness of your feet simply means paying attention to what’s going on with them. We hope you go a step further and seek treatment early when you notice a problem. To help you practice excellent foot care, follow these basic dos and don’ts:

Do examine your feet regularly. When you’re in the shower or drying off your feet, take a good look at them. Get to know what’s normal and what isn’t. Scaly skin can sneak into the spaces between your toes, signaling a fungal infection. Harmless skin lesions like freckles and moles can change size or color, evolving into skin cancer. Hammertoes and bunions can get worse and beg for attention.

Do measure your feet from time to time. It may surprise you to know that your shoe size doesn’t always stay the same throughout your adult life. It can change as a result of an injury. It’s also a common effect of aging.

Don’t wear the same shoes all the time. With summer coming up, we expect to see an awful lot of our Monmouth County patients with foot problems because they’ve spent too much time in flip-flops. Vary your summer footwear and try to wear supportive shoes as much as possible.

Do visit our podiatrists at least once a year if you have diabetes. Regular diabetic foot checks are extremely important. They catch problems early, preventing needless infections and devastating amputations.

Don’t ignore pain. Foot pain often gets worse without treatment. And the longer you put off treatment, the harder it becomes. Something feels strained, pulses, burns, or aches; you can’t move your toe; a part of your foot swells up like a balloon; your big toe joint hurts if you try to bend it; your heel pain is so bad that you can’t even walk. These are all compelling reasons to make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrists. Non-invasive treatments such as orthotic inserts, anti-inflammatory medications, or physical therapy will often ease or eliminate your pain. But if you need foot or ankle surgery, our experienced foot surgeons are well-qualified and up to the task. Contact Dr. Samantha Boyd, Dr. Hal Ornstein, Dr. Dan Phan, and Dr. Joseph Saka at our podiatry offices in Howell or Jackson, New Jersey. Call (732) 905-1110 or make an appointment online.