3 Tips to Improve Your Feet's Health

Many people forget to maintain the health of their feet until it's too late, and they begin to suffer from severe ailments or injuries as a result of an accident. In many situations, injuries or infections could have been avoided with a bit more awareness about the health of your feet. Here are three tips that will help you maintain your feet's health.

Book your pedicure appointment for the morning.

Many podiatrists commonly treat toe infections that come from dirty equipment at nail salons. Even though you've probably watched your nail technician rinse out the foot bowl every time they use it, rinsing with water does not get all the germs out from one foot bath to another. It's in the evening when the bowls are thoroughly scrubbed with antibacterial cleaning supplies that they become their cleanliest. For this reason, it's best that you schedule your appointment for the first time slot of the day. This will make sure your footbath is clean and limits the risk of you getting a toe infection.

Also, be sure not to shave before you go to your appointment. Shaving often results in small nicks on your legs, which, when placed in a footbath, can easily result in infection of the ankle or leg. This is because the bacteria and fungus from the bowl, transfers to your leg and gets into your system through these nicks.

Do not put your feet in harm's way. 

One of the most important things to have is common sense in situations where you are using sharp equipment or lifting heavy items. Many foot injuries happen because people do not wear the proper footwear to protect themselves against injury. In the warmer months, do not mow your lawn with sandals on. This is a great way for your toe to accidentally be cut, run over or worse, all because it was given absolutely no protection.

Get custom orthotics. 

Over the counter orthotics offer you little support if you're having feet trouble or stand on your feet for long periods of time at work. While the additional padding may give you more comfort, they will not correct the way you walk if they're not properly fitted for your foot. For this reason, the best option is to see a podiatrist and ask that you be custom fitted for new orthotics. Doing this will save you pain and wasted expenses in the long run.

For more information on how to keep your feet healthy, talk to a professional podiatrist, like those at Quinns Podiatry.