Foot Facts aGfalt f affult af ag ~& Steps To Better Family Foot Health (NAPSA)—No matter what stage of life you or family membersarein, there are practical steps you can take to promote better foot health. Here are sometips: *Foot specialists consider the first year to be the most important in the developmentof thefeet. Look carefully at your baby’s feet. If you notice something that does not look normal to you, seek professional care immediately. As a child’s feet continue to develop, it may be necessary to change shoe and sock size every few months to allow room for the feet to grow. Improper footwear can aggravate preexisting conditions. Remember, shoes or other footwear should never be handed down. Walkingis the best of all foot exercises, according to podiatrists. With adults, ingrown toenails often result from trimming the nails too short, particularly at the sides. You should trim yourtoenails straight across, allowing adequate length to project beyond the skin at the toenail margins. Diabetes and certain other medical conditions which similarly affect the nerves, cause special foot care problems. In some adults, diabetes will result in nerve damage. When this happens, the nerves no longer perceive pain and therefore do not warn usof injury. This is particularly true in the foot. With diabetes, the body’s poor defense against infection, and diabetes’ damage to blood circulation complicates the problem. Patients with diabetes must exercise extreme caution. Properly fitting shoes can help protect your feet and avoid injury. \ \ one The human foot has been called the mirror of health. That’s why foot doctors are often the first doctors to detect conditions such as diabetes andarthritis. *According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, impairment of the lower extremities is a leading cause of activity limitation in older people. As if foot problems weren’t enough of a nuisance, they can also lead to knee, hip, and lower back pain that undermine mobility just as effectively. *The human foot has been called the mirror of health—particularly among older people. Foot doctors, or doctors of podiatric medicine (DPMs), are often the first doctors to see signs of such systemic conditions as diabetes, arthritis, and circulatory disease in the foot. Among these signs are dry skin, brittle nails, burning and tingling sensations, feelings of cold, numbness, and discoloration. Always seek professional care whenthese signs appear. People of all ages can benefit from taking foot health seriously and taking the advice of a podiatrist.
