Footcare

General footcare tips

Try these general health practices that will keep you on a solid footing:

• Take your shoes off often. It’s good general conditioning for the feet, and you’ll develop a protective layer of skin on your soles.
• Use an anti-perspirant or deodorant foot spray if your feet smell bad. Most foot deodorants and foot powders kill the bacteria that cause odour.
• If you’re on your feet a lot, wear a rubber-sole wedge in your shoe, in which the heel support blends with the rest of the sole. Athletic shoes have this kind of support, and manufacturers such as Hush Puppies are building them into certain dress models.
• Wiggle your toes. When you buy shoes, make sure there’s enough room to wiggle your toes freely. Allow a centimeter of space from the end of your longest toe to the tip of your shoe.
• Get sport specific shoes. If you play tennis or squash more than twice a week, cross trainers won’t do – buy shoes made specifically for the game, and make sure they fit perfectly.
• Pay attention to pain. Go to a doctor or podiatrist whenever you experience severe foot pain, injure a joint or have a bone or joint in pain for more than two weeks.
• For more foot care tips, visit www.foot.com

Your feet

Leonardo da Vinci called the foot “a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art”.

There are twenty-six bones in each foot. They are moved by muscles and tendons and held together by ligaments. The foot is divided into three sections. The larger bones are in the rear foot. The midfoot is made up of irregular bones called tarsals. The forefoot contains the metatarsal bones and phalanges. Each foot has 33 complex joints and 4 arches.

From the time we are born our feet are constantly changing. They continue to increase in size throughout our lives. For this reason, we should be measured for shoes periodically. Also, as we get older our toenails become harder and thicker and require extra attention and added toe room.

When we stand still 50% of our weight is on the heel, 25% at the base of the big toe joint and 25% spreads across the ball of the foot. When we walk, our weight travels from our heel to the outer border, across the ball and springs off the toes when your other heel strikes the ground.

Wearing comfortable good fitting shoes is the most important thing you can do to take care of your feet. The other three basic ingredients in the health of a normal foot are cleanliness, trimmed nails and exercise.

Your shoes

Our shoes are designed with your complete comfort in mind.

Nature intended us to be barefoot. However, since we paved most of our walking surfaces and cluttered up our environment, we need shoes to protect our feet.

The next best thing to barefoot is a good comfort shoe. The ball of your foot should rest on the widest part of the shoe. The heel should fit snug and not slip. Your toes shouldn’t push up against the top of the shoe. The space between your longest toe and the inside of your shoe can be up to half an inch.

Try on both your shoes. Stand up and walk around. If your shoes vary slightly in size, always choose the most comfortable size for the larger foot.

Footcare Products

For a great list of footcare products, visit Green Cross