‘We stick them in shoes and forget about them’: how to really look after your feet
About one quarter of our bones are in our feet. How can you keep them strong and pain free for longer?
TL;DR
- Feet are often ignored until they become painful or dysfunctional.
- Proper footwear should be shaped like the foot and bend where the foot bends.
- Fashionable shoes like high heels and pointy-toe shoes can be detrimental to foot and ankle health.
- For elderly individuals, firmer, thinner-soled, slip-resistant shoes are recommended for stability.
- Varying footwear and rotating shoes used for physical activity is important.
- Maintaining a healthy body weight reduces the risk of foot pain due to mechanical and metabolic reasons.
- Foot exercises, such as forming an arch, calf raises, and scrunching a towel with toes, can strengthen foot muscles.
- Practicing independent toe movements can also help strengthen foot muscles.