Give Your Feet a Fresh Start for the New Year
Let’s start fresh this new year! Here are some tips from Dr. Shylaja Arya at Foot and Ankle Associates of North Texas to make 2019 an injury-free year with increased balance, a year of clean feet and well-fitting shoes and socks.
1. Freshen up in the bathroom. Go through your junk drawers, get rid of all the old nail polish and polish remover. Take out your nail cutters and files and sanitize them with rubbing alcohol. Replace your old polishes with new polishes that have hydrating and antifungal components, like the Dr. Remedy line you can find at our Healthy Steps store.
2. Find your sock mates. Go through your sock drawers. Socks are the most overlooked and under-cared for intimate item that we wear. We let them mismatch, get holes and shrink—and still try to squeeze our feet into them flaws and all. Wearing socks that are too small can lead to ingrown toenails and foot cramps. Go through your sock drawers and get rid of the ones that are the wrong size. Treat your feet right!
3. Freshen up the shoes. Rummage through the shoe closet. Start going through your shoes. Whether its an athletic shoe or high heel, if it’s too narrow in the toe box, has rips or worn lining…get rid of it. Put bounce dryer sheets as the liner underneath your orthotics for a fresh scent. Restock your closets with shoes that fit you well to decrease the chance of stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and other injuries. Make sure you get your athletic shoes fit by a shoe specialist. It’s important to get your shoe sized, as foot size can increase 1.5x over time. We welcome you to stop by our Healthy Steps shoe store and get your shoe sized measured. Stop by the office and one of our physicians will do a gait analysis and recommend the best shoe for your foot type to keep the right foot forward in the new year!
4. Fresh injury free year. Take it easy. Sixty-eight percent of people include weight loss in their New Year’s resolutions. Start slowly with your exercise goals. Binge exercising is the No. 1 cause of foot injury in the new year. Start with a walk, ramp up to a jog and then run. Look for a yoga class. Start cross-training. Find ways to integrate exercise into your daily lifestyle versus taking every high impact class and signing up for a full marathon, before properly training.
5. Travel fresh. If you are free of any circulation or vascular issues, think about wearing compression stockings when you are flying in the new year. This will keep your feet and legs fresh, free of swelling and less likely to cause distention in the veins of the legs. Happy legs, happy feet, happy flight!
6. Freshen up your feet. Winter time means feet are covered in socks and shoes, and we tend to be less attentive to our foot health during these times. Take the time to treat your feet to lotion after a bath. Make sure to check your nails and don’t keep polish on longer than two weeks at a time. If you see any new corns, cracks or wounds on the bottom of your feet, come see us! You should have a medical professional evaluate these. If you are callusing from a new pair of shoes or increased activity, an insert can be helpful to take pressure off of these highly stressed areas. We can help!
Check out our website for more information about all the things we do at Foot and Ankle Associates of North Texas. We have two convenient locations in Grapevine and Keller. Come see us today!
Article Written by Dr. Shylaja Arya
