Preventing Foot Pain
by Dave Wilson

Since the foot is such a complicated part of the human body, it makes sense that taking care of it should be fairly complicated, too. But much of basic foot care is common sense and can be done by anyone without too much trouble.

The first and most basic part of foot care is wearing the right kind of shoes. It’s thought that between 50-70% of all people either don’t know their actual shoe size or they wear the wrong size on purpose. This is a really bad idea. Wearing the wrong size of shoe can lead to chronic foot pain to begin with but can lead to all kinds of problems in the future, including arthritis. Don’t be afraid to ask the clerk at the shoe store to measure your feet so you’ll know what to ask for in the future. But just choosing the proper size is only part of what you need to do. Making sure the shoe has proper arch support is just as important as choosing the right size. Proper arch support provides comfort to your foot and it helps to stave off fallen arches later in life. Also, try to wear sneakers or running shoes as often as possible, especially when exercising. Sneakers, running shoes or basketball shoes provide proper cushioning and they also make sure you have the proper room around the ball of your feet and your toes.

Any women can tell you that if you want to experience foot pain, walk around for a day in high heels. Heels, combined with fashionable narrow-toed shoes are a leading cause of foot pain, as well. Try to avoid these torture machines at all costs, or keep them for special occasion when you know you won’t be standing for long periods. Also, replacing your shoes on a regular basis is important, too since even the most expensive shoes break down over time.

Another major cause of foot pain is injury during exercise. This can be avoided by learning proper warm-up techniques. Stretching is extremely important when it comes to exercise, and things like muscle pulls and strains can be avoided if you remember to warm up before exercising. Also, don’t go crazy with the amount of exercise you do right off the bat. If you’re starting an exercise regimen, start slow and build up over time. It’s great that you’ve decided to start exercising, but don’t hurt yourself in the process.

A final tip in helping to avoid foot pain is to simply lose weight if you are carrying some excess weight. Your feet literally take a pounding every time you go out and walk, regardless of how much you weigh, so simply dropping a few pounds can make a huge difference on the bones, ligaments and the arch of the foot. Also, do your best to keep the feet dry and in good shape, this will help reduce calluses and corns over time.

There are other common sense tips, of course, that don’t even need to be repeated here, like if you’re going to go out and lift really heavy loads, put on a pair of steel-toed boots. The best advice is to use your head and you and your feet will have a wonderfully long comfortable life together.

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