Winter time can be quite harsh on the feet, they go from a warm centrally heated houses to arctic conditions outside, which takes its toll on the skin, making it dry and prone to cracking open. Chilblains can often be present at the ends of the toes and can be very painful to walk on.
These professional top tips will help your feet get through the winter- trouble free!
Waterproof shoes for rainy conditions - there is nothing worse than having wet shoes and feet, it makes them cold plus the dye will often leach out of wet shoes onto the skin which the coloured skin can last for days and months in the nails. Leather soles are so smooth there will be no traction with the ground and will slip easily in the wet, wearing grippy soles is a good idea
Snow and icy conditions can pose a real possibility for a fall, leading to fractures of the hips and wrists or worse. Good grippy shoe soles are essential in these conditions, get the cobbler to apply an anti-slip sole to the underneath of the shoes. Buying a pair of shoe snow chains which are applied to the sole of the shoe, they are so easy to put on any shoe or boot and are not difficult to wear providing that extra confidence when walking or running on the ice or snow
Two pairs of thin socks are a better choice than one thick pair of socks at keeping your feet warm when the weather turns cold. Wool and silk are still a great choice of material for your socks, the modern socks are washer/dryer friendly and there is certainly no itchiness involved with those materials anymore. Darn tough socks are our favourite make of sock and we both wear them for work and dog walking, a great sock for all activities. They keep the feet warm preventing the chance of chilblains.
Applying cream to your feet daily is recommended as the skin gets really dehydrated and dry in the winter and consequently the skin will crack especially around the heel area, which is not only painful but can be a portal of entry for infection especially for the higher risk groups of diabetic and vascular deficient patients who struggle with sensation in the feet. Creams with a 10-25% Urea content are great for really dry skin as they are better at softening as well as hydrating the skin. CCS is the cream the practice has been using for 30 years, it is Swedish and has out performed the other brands in our opinion.
Watch out for those fungal infections (athletes’ foot) of the feet as they do thrive in the warm conditions of centrally heated houses as much as they do in the hot summer months, well- maybe weeks or days? (in the UK) Warm, dark, moist environments are perfect for fungal growth, avoid drip drying after bathing and dry carefully between the toes. Applying an antifungal cream. spray or gel to the affected areas of the skin on the feet is a highly effective way of treating and also preventing an episode of athlete’s foot. In clinic we have a five-minute fungal test which can establish whether you have a fungal infection of the skin or nails and we can advise on the best products for which ever type of infection you may have?
In-growing toe nails that have been fine in the summer in sandals start to feel the pressure of tighter, snug winter footwear. Try to cut the nails across and not down the side of the nail and wear shoes that have a more wiggle room for the toes in the front of the shoe.
Hello, I am Lindsey a 56-year-old podiatrist and this has been my life in the last couple of years during the pandemic...
Over the past few years, the most common problem we see in clinic, involving children, would most definitely be heel pain. This could be present when playing sport, or after participating in other forms of strenuous activity...
The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the back of the heel, it is considered to be strongest tendon in the body and its movement helps you step up on your toes, run and jump...
`COVID- toes` is a symptom of contracting Covid-19, it can present in any age group, across all continents and in a full range of skin types. Although it tends to be more common in children and young adults...
Uneven leg length is quite common, and often a few millimeters is not going to cause major problem, and probably will go unnoticed. However, for some even a small limb length difference can cause problems in the hips, back and neck...
We all know children grow a lot over the school holidays and more often than not you need to buy new uniforms and new school shoes in August before they start in September...
In netball and basketball there is a tremendous amount of pressure that is put on the foot, ankle, knees and hips. This can occur at the highest level or even when playing socially...
Pain is pain… right? Sadly not, pain is a complicated subject but simply put, it can be separated into two categories; Acute and Chronic pain. There is one noticeable difference between the two and that is the amount of time that the pain has been around?
Shockwave Therapy has become one of the most effective ways to treat chronic lower limb pain, t was originally developed to treat Kidney Stones (Lithotripsy), as an alternative treatment to surgery...
This may sound like an odd title, but this is how I refer to the most common foot condition we see in clinic, which is Heel Pain. Did you realise there are over 40 causes of heel pain, the most common one that is known about is Plantar fasciitis, which is inflammation of the soft tissues on the bottom of the foot...
The Podiatry profession in the UK is subject to careful monitoring and regulation. These systems are in place to protect the public from sub-standard levels of care, and to ensure that practitioners always know to which standards they should be working to.
There can be many reasons for this, but a common one we see at Lindsey Ebbs Podiatry is a lack of understanding on what makes one shoe better than another and not knowing when a shoe has passed its used by date and should be replaced.
Pressure gait analysis gives a detailed insight into the forces impacting on the foot when walking or running. This information allows us to identify areas of the foot that maybe under a higher pressure load which over time can cause pain, injury, fractures and pressure ulcers of the skin.
At the Foot Hub Whitby, we treat a lot of patients with shin soreness, and it doesn’t matter if they’re a seasoned professional sports person or a weekend warrior.
Perhaps you have been told by a friend, a concerned family member, or a health professional that you have a heel spur but they can only be guessing!
The insoles are a clever innovative piece of equipment that can quantify the movement of the body with different mobility disorders such as neurological, orthopaedic, age related or sporting injuries...
I have been using a laser in practice for 25 years now and have long realised the great outcomes that can be achieved by them, so after extensively researching the Class 4 MLS laser, which is quite unique to other class 4 lasers in that it doesn’t emit heat, I realised this was the laser I wanted to upgrade to...
Preparing for a marathon or a half marathon takes dedication and a lot of time, applying these simple tips can make the experience a more positive one...
Many people think they have ingrowing toenails when in fact what they have are involuted (curved) or thickened nails...
Dogs have always been a large part of my life, I have never known a time without a dog from being a small child through to an adult, after having my own children and working full time...
Infection control is something Podiatrists alongside all the medical profession take very seriously. Reducing the transmission of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses and fungal infections...
Is muscle memory a thing? Yes, it is! Not that we have mini brains in our muscles as the brain is definitely located in the head! But there is no doubt that our muscles remember movement...
Verrucae are caused by infection in the skin from the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). They are often harmless and can disappear on their own, but sometimes...
(from Podiatrists who were at the finish line)
Fascial is a band or sheet of three-dimensional connective tissue, primarily made of collagen it surrounds every tissue, muscle, tendon, nerves, blood vessels and organs of the body...
Winter time can be quite harsh on the feet, they go from a warm centrally heated houses to artic conditions outside, which takes...
This is the most common heel pain complaint we see in clinic. It is an inflammatory condition of the plantar fascia caused...
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the cause of warts and verrucae, they can appear anywhere on the skin but are mostly seen...