Wednesday 23 December 2015

Winter is Coming: Five Foot Problems You should Beware

With winter knocking at the door, you must have already started taking out warm clothes, woolen socks and snug shoes. This is one season which can be actually felt by every part of the body, often resulting in certain discomfort. Since your feet remains maximum exposed to the chilling weather, it can lead to several painful conditions.

And so, if you want to enjoy a pain-free active winter, here are listed five common foot conditions you need to be careful about.

Heel spur

The comfortable cold weather encourages you to become over-active. You want to make up for those gym sessions or jogging schedules you missed during sweaty summer months. This is the time when team activities and organized sports get arranged too. Such activities can result in injuries like heel spur, runner’s knee, and shin splints.

Ingrown toenails

You start wearing closed-in shoes during this season to keep your feet warm. And it can aggravate ingrown toenails condition, if you are already suffering from it. Even the pressure of your heavy blankets can sometimes irritate those ingrown toenails! Consult a podiatrist to manage this problem better, which would guarantee a good night’s sleep.  

Dry cracked skin

You just can’t avoid dry cracked skin as it starts losing moisture during winter months. Foot skin gets affected the most, as it can peel and develop cracks too. In severe situations, the skin crack opens very badly and starts bleeding, especially in areas where the pressure is highest, i.e. the heel. Wash your feet daily with gentle pumice stone or loofah. Then apply a good moisturizing cream. Consult a podiatrist for remedial measures, if the painful condition persists still.

Fungal infections

Many are of the opinion that fungal infections are the same as dry cracked skin, since both foot conditions appear to be the same, to start with. If the problem is ascertained to be fungal infection, then soon you will notice redness, itching and scaling. In severe cases, open wounds appear on the bottom of your feet. Check between your toes as these are the common hiding spots for some types of fungal infections. Application of Tea tree can prove to be helpful; or else seek guidance of a foot specialist.

Chilblains

It is a common foot problem which is triggered by cold weather. You have chilblains, if you notice small red-colored swellings along with itchiness. When your foot remains exposed to cold weather for long, blood vessels in your toes tend to get smaller in size. Keep your feet warm and these cold-affected blood vessels will return to normal size.

In case your toes become warm too fast, that can cause pain, swelling, redness, and blistering, typically associated with chilblains. It can be treated by applying the right kind of lotions and creams as prescribed by your podiatrist. If left untreated for long, chilblains can prove to be harmful and can lead to ulcers too.

As evident from the above discussion, most of these foot conditions can be prevented or managed by adopting simple measures. If you feel that your foot problem is chronic and refuses to subside, then do get in touch with a reputable podiatrist before it is too late.

No comments:

Post a Comment