Look after your feet this Self Care Week
Self-care means knowing how to keep fit and healthy and prevent health problems, how to manage self-treatable conditions and when to seek appropriate clinical help.
For most minor conditions, there is some good online self-care information from websites you can trust, like NHS choices. This information is put together by a team of clinical experts and is exactly the same advice you would be given if you were attending an NHS consultation.
This week, we are thinking about good self foot care.
Katherine Starynskyj, Clinical Lead for Podiatry comments: “There are some really common foot complaints that can be easily managed at home without having to visit your GP. Conditions such as athlete’s foot, verrucae, fungal nail infection and plantar fasciitis. All you need is the right advice and you can be well on the way to recovery before your referral to a specialist service has been processed. We find that poor style or fit of footwear is one of the biggest causes of toe nail, skin, and musculoskeletal pain in the foot. By simply changing your shoes, you can make a real improvement to your foot health”.
Margaret Sharma, Podiatry Diabetes Specialist adds: “It is particularly important for people with Diabetes to take responsibility for their day to day foot care to help prevent life and limb threatening complications. Every week over 130 amputations are performed across the UK. There are over 21,000 registered diabetics in Coventry, so the more self-care you can do to prevent foot ulcerations from developing, the less hospital admissions we will see – which can only be a good thing”.
Top Tips for Good Self Foot Care
- Wash your feet every day in warm water and soap – do not soak for longer than 60 seconds
- Dry feet carefully, especially between the toes
- At least once a day apply a good thick moisturising cream all over your feet (but not between the toes)
- Use a foot file or emery board to gently file the toe nails straight across and remove any hard skin patches on the feet
- Wear a good style of supportive shoe and slipper every day. Look for wide cushioned soles, low broad heel, wide and deep toe box area and a firm adjustable strap (lace/buckle/Velcro).
Next time you have a query or concern about your foot health, rather than rush to make an appointment with your GP, have a look on the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust website or go to NHS Choices and find out how much you can do to help yourself first.