It is now summer. The nice weather is upon us. The warm temperature feels nice, the pools are open, everyone is happy… but are your feet happy too?
Did you know that summer in fact can be harsh on your feet?
Read up to find out how the sunny season can hurt your feet.
1. Do you apply sunscreen on your feet?
Did you know that your feet need sun protection too? They are unfortunately too often forgotten in many instances and sunscreen application is no exception! The lack of sunscreen application on the feet can lead to different issues ranging from a sunburn to increasing the risk of skin cancer. The best way to avoid these is to apply sunscreen on your feet at the same time as applying it on the rest of your body! Do you need to cover the soles of your feet you asked? The answer is that it depends of your position. If you are wearing sandals and will be walking or standing you don’t need to… but if you are going sunbathing and will lay down on your stomach, you better apply it on the sole of your feet. If you don’t like the slippery feeling, make sure to cover the bottom of your feet with a towel to protect them from the UV rays.
2. Spending more time in your sandals can leave your feet… hanging
I get it! The heat is present and you do not want to wear shoes… This means that the sandals are coming out from their hibernation. Yes they can allow your feet to “breathe” better, but they can also bring their loads of issues. The main problem is that they do not offer as much support as a shoe. The regular flipflops are completely flat with zero support. If you use them very often during the summer, this may cause some issues like heel pain. The fact that they are very low to the ground can also cause inflammation to the Achilles tendon. How to avoid problems? There are 2 things that I recommend. First of all, minimize the use of sandals… this means that you have to look at your activity level. If you are going in and out and will be running only a few errands, wearing sandals should be ok. If you are planning on going out to take a walk, I would suggest you use sneakers. Secondly, you can invest in a pair of sandal that have a nice support included. Vionics, Birkenstock and Oofos sandal are great. Powersteps also have a nice sandal with an arch support integrated that can be ordered through the office.
3. The beach may not be your feet’s best friend
Who likes to walk on the beach? Warm sand and cool water seems like a good combination right? Not! Walking barefoot on the beach can exacerbate or even create issues like plantar fasciitis or even tendinitis.This is due to the fact that the muscle, tendons and ligaments have to work harder because the surface is very soft. The other thing you might not think about is what is hiding in the sand… You can sustain an injury from stepping on a piece of debris like glass or metal. I even hard a patient that had an injury from walking on an urchin on the beach and required multiple surgeries by a prior provider (it happened before I met her) to remove the embedded pieces of foreign body. Yikes!
4. Repetitive pedicures may hide some yuckies
Everybody likes to have nice toenails to show off in their open toe shoes. For some people this means repetitive pedicures done one after the other throughout the warm season. The issues with that are two fold. First of all, the nails can get damage from being constantly under nail polish. If you knew how many times I have seen a patient at the end of the summer coming to the office after noticing some discoloration of their nails caused by the constant application of nail polish! Second, the constant use of nail polish can prevent you to spot a problem with your nail like a fungal infection. The unrecognized infection can then get worse and spread. To avoid any issues, try to remove the nail polish on your own at home and take a look at your toenails before getting the next pedicure. Call the office is something looks funky!
Have you learned anything? Do you have anything to add? Comment down below!
And most importantly… ENJOY THE SUMMER!!!!
-Dr. Blanchette
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