Believe it or not, many people do not have a podiatrist whom they see regularly. And while regular visits to the podiatrist’s office may not always be a necessity, there are some certain times when you should know that it is time to go give your local podiatry clinic a visit. Situations such as possible toenail fungus or plantar warts are a good indicator that it is time to seek professional help from an expert in the medical treatment of feet. To help you figure out when it is time to give the podiatrist a visit, here are some of the signs that let you know that it is time to seek professional medical intervention.

*Discolored or Crumbly Toenails. Discolored or crumbly toenails can be a very clean indicator of toenail fungus, and usually require medical intervention. Toenail fungus, contrary to popular belief, cannot be treated at home or with over the counter medications, as they are almost always completely ineffective. Rather, this problem needs medical treatments, such as the innovative and revolutionary laser treatment that is only available at the podiatrist’s office.

*Pain in your Heels. While pain in your heels can sometimes be a sign of an innocent and easily treated problem, it can also be a sign of a bigger and more serious problem, such as bone spur. A podiatrist will be able to determine the source of the problem, and help to work with you to figure out the best course of treatment and the best way to ease your pain. If you are feeling any pain in your heels, it is a good idea to take it easy and rest until you can get in to see a professional podiatrist. Remember, exacerbating these problems can only make them worse.

*Hard Lumps in the Pads of the Feet or Toes. Hard “lumps” in the pads of the feet or twos could be one of two things; they could either be unsightly warts, or painful bunions. Either way, it is crucial that you book an appointment with a podiatrist as soon as possible to ensure that your problem does not worsen. Whatever the condition may be, it can only get worse if left untreated.

If you ever suspect that pain or swelling in your feet may be a result of something serious, it is best to schedule a visit with your podiatrist.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/knowing-when-it-is-time-to-visit-the-podiatrist-milwaukee-foot-care-2761106.html#ixzz0sZOQzPb5

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(NAPSI)-If you’re like most people, you take 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. Here are 12 more steps you can take to keep your feet in good shape, especially during the warmer months:

1. Sunny days and warm nights may encourage wearing flip-flops, but it’s a good idea to get the kind made of high-quality, soft leather to minimize the potential for blisters. Make sure your foot doesn’t hang over the edge and beware of irritation where the toe thong fits. It can lead to blisters and infections. Don’t wear flip-flops to play sports, do yard work or walk long distances.

2. Keep your feet healthy with a waterproof,oil-free sunscreen every time you wear sandals outdoors.

3. Dr. Kathleen Stone, president of the American Podiatric Medical Association, says, “Pampering and grooming your feet promotes good foot hygiene and should be done frequently to contribute not only to your foot health in warmer weather but also to your body’s overall health.” Try soaking your feet for at least five minutes in a bucket of cool water.

4. Use a foot file or pumice stone to gently smooth the skin around the heel and the balls and sides of your feet.

5. Gently push back cuticles with a cuticle pusher or manicure stick. Cuticles provide a protective barrier against infection and should never be cut.

6. To prevent fungal infections, and viruses that cause warts, wash your feet daily with soap and water, drying carefully, especially between the toes.

7. Change your shoes regularly.

8. Avoid walking barefoot, particularly in public showers and locker rooms. Bare feet are exposed to plantar warts and athlete’s foot.

9. To prevent hot, sweaty feet and foot odor, rub cornstarch or roll-on antiperspirant directly on the soles of your feet.

10. Use a nail clipper to cut toenails straight across. Then, use an emery board to smooth the nail edges by filing in one direction without drastically rounding the edges. When toenail edges are rounded, it increases the chances for painful ingrown toenails.

11. Consult a podiatrist if you have any foot pain or other problems affecting your feet. Podiatrists, explains Dr. Stone, are uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat conditions of the foot and ankle.

12. For more information about foot care or to find a podiatrist near you, visit www.apma.org.

source:  http://bit.ly/bewK7R

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The skin on our feet is thicker than elsewhere; providing much needed protection against the stresses and strains we put them under. It is said that our feet absorb between three and four times our body weight whenever they touch the ground.

In an average lifetime, our feet walk the distance equivalent of four times round the earth – so its not surprising that they sometimes feel hard done by. Add the fact that they have around 72, 000 nerve endings and it is not surprising that they need some tender loving care.

* Here is how to give it.

Scrub Up Nicely

The most important thing you can do to promote healthy, beautiful feet is to scrub them. It is no good just giving them a quick wash at the end of a shower. Equally, it is no good using a flannel or a sponge. Instead you need a brush, or even a pan scrubber.

This will help to stop the build up of calluses and areas of hard skin that can prevent skin from absorbing moisture.

Once you have given your feet a really good scrub, them as a next step apply some rich moisturizing lotion. Useful ingredients in such a lotion are those containing Vitamin E oil or a Shea butter, both of which are wonderful for nourishing skin.

Massage Feet Regularly

A regular massage is superb for bringing tired feet back to life. You can either get someone to do this for you or do it yourself. If doing the latter, then start by cleansing your feet with a cotton wool pad soaked in either lavender or orange blossom water. These both have antiseptic properties and are cooling and refreshing to feet.

Next, apply a rich moisturizing or foot massage cream to the palms of your feet and gently work it into your feet one foot at a time. Do not forget the are between your toes.

Follow this by using firmer strokes, massaging from your ankles to your toes with both hands. Use your thumbs to massage the top of each foot, and your fingers on your soles. End your massage by gently massaging your toes – this will assist in helping to boost circulation.

Treat Your Toe Nails

Always remember that nails need regular attention as well. Toenails actually grow twice as quickly as fingernails and are twice as thick. You thus need to cut them regularly.

Trim them straight across with nail clippers and file the edges with an emery board.

If your nails are brittle or flaky, then you could be lacking in certain vitamins, including iron, calcium, manganese, silica, or zinc. If so you could consider using a daily multivitamin supplement.

Get Shoe Wise

The most crucial aid to healthy, pain free feet is adopting appropriate footwear.

Wearing your killer heels to the office may make a style statement, but will often have painful ramifications for your feet.

Wearing the wrong type of shoes for long periods can cause a range of foot problems. These include blister, corns, calluses, as well as potentially serious foot, knee and back pain, as well as damaged joints.

There is so much more to discover about avoiding foot pain and caring for your feet. We have only just scratched the surface here so do research further in order to achieve healthy, happy feet.

Discover more – there is a huge range of interesting and useful information on Foot Care Tips and the management of sore feet available over at:

http://www.sorefeetsolved.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eamon_Greville

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Symptoms:

Athlete’s foot usually looks like dry, peeling red skin on the sole or soles of your feet. The flaking may spread to the sides and onto the tops of the feet. Usually, though, the rash is found only on the foot soles.

Athlete’s foot has nicknames, depending on where it occurs. On the soles, it’s called “moccasin”. If it is between your toes, it’s called “interdigital”. If it’s “blistering” or “inflammatory”, it’s technically called bullous tinea pedis, and with this type, you would have thick patches of reddened, dry skin with calluses. Milder cases may appear like simple dry skin, and may or may not be inflamed or red.

Causes:

There is more than one possible cause of rashes on the foot, and athlete’s foot is one that is more commonly seen. Other causes include dermatitis, bacterial infections, yeast infections, psoriasis, or rashes from shoes, socks or creams.

Your health care provider can utilize an easy test to confirm athlete’s foot. It’s called the KOH test, and it is a potassium hydroxide examination for fungi. He or she will use small skin flakes and examine them under a microscope. In some instances, the physician may send a piece of skin away for a biopsy, to help in confirming the diagnosis.

People who get athlete’s foot often may be more prone to fungus infections, and may experience more of them. You can prevent fungus to a degree, by keeping your feet dry and clean, staying away from long term walking in moist areas, and by allowing the feet to “breathe”, without shoes on. Avoid contact with people whom you know are infected, and don’t walk barefoot in gyms or around public pools. You can also use anti fungal brands of foot powder, and spray your shoes with disinfectant.

Treatment:

Treatment for athlete’s foot generally is composed of two parts. The first means of treatment, and the most important, is making the area less suited to fungus growth. Keep your feet dry and clean. Buy shoes that are constructed of breathable materials like leather. Vinyl doesn’t breathe, and can cause your feet to stay too moist for prolonged time periods. This is an excellent breeding ground for fungus. Wear cotton socks that help to pull moisture away from your feet, too.

Medicated powders can also be used to keep your feet their driest. You can soak your feet in aluminum acetate, which is a drying solution, or soak them in diluted white vinegar and water.

The second aspect of athlete’s foot treatment is using anti fungal washes or creams. They are marketed under various brand names, so ask your pharmacist to point them out to you. You should continue treating your feet for a month, or for at least a week after you are symptom free.

If you have an advanced type of athlete’s foot fungus, you may also need to take an anti fungal in pill form. You will be given liver tests before you are prescribed these pills, because you can’t take them if you have liver disease.

If you apply corticosteroid creams to your feet to help, these can actually fertilize the area and make your athlete’s foot worse. Do not use them to treat fungus. If the fungus spreads to your toenails, you will have to treat them as well, or the fungus may recur. Treating the toenails may require a longer term of oral anti fungals.

Athlete’s foot can actually also affect the hand, and, oddly enough, if it does, it will only affect one hand. No one knows exactly why only one hand is affected, in these cases. The fungus can also be seen at the same time as groin based ringworm, particularly in men. Regardless of where the fungus is, it’s important to treat all affected areas so that the fungus doesn’t continue to multiply.
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Author Resource:- Hundreds of http://www.skincareresource.org Skin Care Health Articles and Stories. Learn more about http://www.skincareresource.org/skin_conditions/athletes-foot/ Athletes Foot
Article From Holistic Health Articles

After reading an article someone wrote about seeing someone walking their dog on the hot pavement in the summer and how the owner should take their shoes off and walk on the smoldering pavement to see how it felt, it enticed me to find some info on the whole situation.

Here is part of an article about Dog’s Paws I found from a website called dogtopics.com….

“Your dog’s footpads are the toughest part of his skin, and absorb the shock and pressure on his joints from standing, walking and running. Due to their function, paws are prone to injury and dog paw care should be a part of your regular care routine.
I briefly inspect Zoe and Fritz’s paws each evening as I outlined in an earlier post about getting your puppy used to being handled. It doesn’t take long and is as simple as ensuring nothing is stuck between their toes and their pads are clean and free from mud and dirt.

Burns and blisters: your dog’s pads can easily burn and blister as a result of walking on a hot pavement or through hot sand.
If you look at your dog’s pad there will either be a loose flap of the pad itself, or this will have become detached leaving a red, ulcerated patch.
The best thing you can do is to apply anti-bacterial wash and cover the paw with a bandage until the pad has healed. If your dog has a loose flap of pad you’ll need to wait for this to come off, which it will do on its own or you can ask your vet to trim it off.

When to go to the vet: always contact your vet if you are unsure of the cause of the injury, you are not comfortable treating the injury yourself, the wound does not appear to be healing, or if your dog’s paw becomes swollen.
Your vet will either recommend further treatment you can carry out at home or suggest you visit the clinic.

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Prevention: sometimes accidents will happen, but to reduce the risk of a footpad injury keep your home and yard clear of sharp objects, take care when you are out to avoid hazards such as broken glass and other debris on pavements, walking on graveled areas for a long period of time, hot pavements in the summer and road salt in the winter.”

And now the results…

Did you have problems doing just one push-up?
If you cannot rise up onto the ball of your foot without putting lots of pressure on your hands, leaning over the counter or experiencing pain, your arch may have a mechanical problem. The arch tendon can stretch or rupture, leading to lowering of the arch. A foot and ankle surgeon should be consulted as soon as possible.

Were you able to do all 10 without a problem?
If you can easily rise up onto the ball of your foot, but have difficulty performing all 10 repetitions, you may be suffering from arch fatigue. Exercises focusing on strengthening and stretching leg muscles will help this problem. The foot push-up described above can also be used as an exercise technique.

Did you have pain in your arch during the exercise?
If you can easily rise up onto the ball of your foot but experience pain in your arch, your arch may be inflamed and may have been overworked. Consulting a foot and ankle surgeon for weak and overworked arches is recommended to manage the problem and keep your feet healthy and free of pain.