Some Foot Tips from Ruth
It has now been a few weeks since the Centre has had to close and, as well as missing one another, I am sure that many of you are also missing the various therapies you usually take part in at the Centre.
So, as we are not able to see each other, I thought it might be useful to offer some advice about how to keep your feet as healthy and problem-free as possible. I have therefore listed below some general tips, whilst any individual advice that I may have given to you about your own feet will, of course, still apply.
But a note of caution! Your feet are a long way down and can be difficult, if not impossible, for some of you to reach, and, even if you are able to reach them, you then have to have enough strength in your hands, as well as being able to see properly, to treat them without causing harm. With all of the advice I have given below, I am making the assumption than you are able to manage your feet yourself, or that you have a willing partner at home who will do so for you. If you are not able to manage your feet yourself and do not have someone at home who can help you, then please do not attempt to try and treat them. I know that this may mean having uncomfortable feet for a while, but, quite honestly, it is better to have a bit of foot discomfort for a while rather than risk causing yourself more serious damage.
- Trimming nails The best tool to trim toenails is a nail clipper. They are stronger and more accurate than scissors. Nails should be trimmed following the natural shape of the nail and should not be cut too short as this could cause the nails to grow inwards which could in turn lead to infection. Once trimmed, filing the nails (and you can use the sort of file you would use for your fingernails) helps to smooth away any roughness so the nails don’t catch on your socks, tights or bedsheets! If your nails are too thick to cut, use a file to file them all over. You may find this easier if you first soak your feet in lukewarm water for 10-15 minutes to soften the nails.
- Toenail fungus If you have toenail fungus, the most effective treatment I have found is to use tea tree oil. It is inexpensive and is readily available in chemists, health food shops and even some supermarkets. Use a cotton bud to dip into the bottle and apply to the infected nail/s. Do not put the cotton bud back into the bottle as this will contaminate the remaining tea tree oil. Use the other end of the cotton bud if you have a few infected nails and one application is not enough and then discard the cotton bud. Tea tree application should be done once a day (or even twice if the nails are heavily infected). Try to get into a routine and perhaps do it in the morning or at night. Any time of the day will do, just try to make it a regular habit. To get rid of toenail fungus completely can take a long time (3-12 months) and some people’s nails react positively and more quickly to tea tree oil than others. But keep at it and don’t worry if you miss a day or two, just start again! The more regularly you do it, the quicker the fungus will go.
- Callus (hard skin) This is a very common condition caused by the friction of the skin against footware and it is the body’s way of protecting itself from harm. To remove callus, or some of it, or just to keep it at bay, soak your feet in lukewarm water for about 10-15 minutes and then, after drying with a towel, use a footfile (or a pumice stone if you have one of those) to gently remove the callus. Don’t be over vigorous which could cause soreness and only do this once a week (if you do it too often the body will go into overdrive and create more callus faster).
- Corns These are a little more tricky to deal with on your own. Please don’t take a razor blade to your corns! This is obviously quite dangerous and a cut could lead to infection. I am also not a fan of corn removal plasters as the strong chemicals that are in these could damage the skin. Until you are able to see me again, treat your corns as you would callus: soak your feet for about 10-15 minutes and gently file or pumice over the corn. This will reduce any callus surrounding the corn as well as helping to remove the hard surface of the corn. If the corn is particularly painful to walk on, apply some padding or a plaster to help cushion the impact of your footfall. If you have a corn between your toes (which can be very painful indeed) try to separate your toes so they don’t rub against each other. You can use cotton wool or even soft loo paper folded to a small size. The idea is to keep your toes apart to relieve the pain of the corn.
- Athlete’s Foot This can be a very irritating problem as it can make your feet itch and feel very uncomfortable. It is a fungal condition and can affect the sides and soles of the foot (looking like a red rash with sometimes dry, scaly or cracked skin) as well as between the toes (where it looks white and soft). If you have this condition, you should ensure that you dry your feet thoroughly with a towel, especially between your toes (keep a separate towel for this purpose). Then use an antifungal cream such as Canesten or Lamosil, or an antifungal spray for between the toes, following the product instructions. These antifungal products can be found in all chemists as well as many supermarkets.
- Moisturising This is particularly important if you have dry and/or cracked skin. Moisturising helps to prevent dryness in the feet and can help to slow down the production of callus. The very act of moisturising also helps your circulation by stimulating the bloodflow in your feet which helps with swelling. There are lots of lovely foot creams on the market but a basic cream, such as E45 or Aqueous cream, would be fine to use. Try to moisturise your feet once a day.
- Exercise your feet This is particularly important if your feet are prone to swelling. If possible sit with your feet up and move them from side to side, backwards and forwards and round in circles. To be honest, just moving your feet generally, either with them up (and, if you have swollen feet, you should always try to sit with them up if you can) or with them on the floor will help to promote better circulation and reduce swelling.
I hope these tips are helpful but, as I said at the beginning, only follow if this advice if you are able to do so safely. Don’t take any risks. I hope it won’t be too long before we see each other again. In the meantime, I wish you all well and am thinking of you
Ruth x
