When you care for your feet, you care for your entire body. That’s why regular foot care is especially important for patients with diabetes, athletes, diagnosed foot conditions, and those that are on their feet often. Fairfield foot and ankle specialist Louise E. Tortora, DPM treats men, women, and children for conditions like bunions and heel pain and the effects of diabetes on the feet and recommends the following foot care tips to keep your extremities healthy. 

Podiatrist’s Top Foot Care Tips 

1. See Your Foot Doctor Regularly 

It’s important to see your podiatrist for foot care checkups regularly, especially if you have diabetes or a diagnosed foot condition like plantar fasciitis, ingrown toenails, and heel spurs. Keeping up with your appointments will encourage you to keep up with your treatment plan and tip off your specialist if your condition worsens. 

2. Take Diabetic Foot Care Seriously 

If you live with diabetes, it’s critical that you take your foot care seriously. Diabetic neuropathy is a potentially debilitating condition that can cause pain and sensitivity and, if left untreated, the inability to feel pain or temperature change. Check your feet for signs of swelling, cuts, or sores every day and let your doctor know if you experience any stinging or numbness in your feet or legs. 

3. Clean & Inspect Your Feet Daily 

For healthy feet, everyone should wash and inspect themselves for signs of abnormal sores, lesions, and swelling each day. Remove dirt, clean between the toes, and rub lotion on your heels and the top of your feet.

4. Smooth & Trim Periodically 

In addition to the regular use of moisturizing, healing lotion, you should also take care to smooth rough skin that forms calluses or corns. Use a powered exfoliator or a pumice stone, and visit your local grocery or drugstore for shoe inserts that can prevent scaly feet. Trim your nails when they get too long and file them if they’re uneven or jagged. 

5. Protect Yourself 

Avoid walking barefoot to protect yourself from extreme temperatures and injury. Always wear comfortable shoes with socks and add padded insoles when you need them. Protect your feet from inadequate blood flow by propping your feet up while you sit, avoiding crossing your legs, and getting regular exercise. You should also take care to move your feet and ankles regularly if you sit at a desk chair for work. If you’re diabetic, compression socks can help keep blood flow steady. 

Your feet are important to your overall health. To make an appointment for expert foot care, call podiatrist Louise E. Tortora, DPM in Fairfield, CT, at (203) 254-0093. For the latest diabetic foot care and heel pain tips, follow the practice on Facebook.