Traveling Tips for Feet

Air travel and long road trips to your vacation destination can play havoc on your lower extremities due to stiffening of the muscles and lack of circulation. Inactivity from being packed in like sardines on an airplane with minimal space between you are the person sitting next to you can cause many health problems such as swelling of the feet and blood clots in the legs. We have become accustom to tight quarters when traveling, but you can take a proactive approach to keeping your feet and ankles happy during travel.   

The American Podiatric Medical Association has put together a list of travel tips to keep your feet happy during the sometimes grueling task of getting to and from your destination.

• Get a work out in…. while sitting! Yes, you can work out your feet and ankles while sitting down. All you have to do is rotate your foot about 5 times in the clockwise direction and then in the counterclockwise direction. Flex your toes up and down to work out your calves. Here’s an easy one… wiggle your toes!
• Move your whole body. When fueling up the car, get out and walk around. If traveling on a plane, listen for when the pilot says you can get up and then do so. Walk up and down the aisle a few times. Try to request an aisle seat because you will have more room to stretch out your legs. Guideline: move around at least once an hour.
• Cozy Shoes. Planning on purchasing new shoes for your vacation? You may want to reconsider, especially if they need a breaking in period. Nothing is worse than getting blisters and having sore feet when you are trying to enjoy your vacation. During the travel process, loosen shoelaces, and if you can without endangering others with the smell of feet, take your shoes off. Swelling of feet is a common occurrence during travel and can be minimized by drinking plenty of water and wearing supportive elastic stockings.
• Give your feet a vacation. Pack a spa kit! All you need is lotion, a foot brush, toenail clippers, Epson salts, and warm water.

Photo by Sunshinecity. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunshinecity/2168723481/

Are You Tired of Fighting Toenail Fungus?

We have a revolutionary new procedure that eliminates nail fungus without anesthesia and medication! Until now, the only approach to treating toenail fungus has been a regimen of ointments, assorted prescription medications, and minor surgical procedures.

In our experience the only way to really get rid of toenail fungus is to use a treatment that truly addresses the fungus beneath the toenail and destroys the fungal cells within the nail plate, so the nail can begin to grow again, free of fungus. Once the fungus has been eliminated, the healthy nail can then typically grow back over the course of six to twelve months.

What is toenail fungus?

 • Thickened, discolored, loose, or deformed toenail

What Causes Fungal Nail?

• Result of trauma to toenail

• Could be an indication of other medical conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer or psoriasis

• Can start in the skin as athlete’s foot, and spread to the nails

• Shoes and socks that encourage fungal growth

• Heredity

Precautions:

• Keep shoes and socks dry.

• Practice good foot hygiene, including daily washing of the feet with soap and water, drying the feet carefully, especially between toes.

• Change shoes regularly.

• Wear natural/synthetic blend socks.

• Inspect toenails and trim them straight across on a regular basis.

• Do not use nail polish to cover discoloration.

Recommended Treatment by a Podiatrist:

• Perform a physical examination and culture the infected nail.

• 2 to 4 treatments to eliminate this problem from your life, without medications, surgery, and anesthetic!

Image from: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/4274765773/

ABCD's of Melanoma

When you hear skin cancer, what do you think the cause usually is? If you thought the sun, you are correct, in a way. Yes, the sun is a major contributor to skin caner, but skin cancer also forms on other parts of the body that don't get as much sun as others. The feet, for example, are not as exposed to the sun as other parts of the body, but they have their own set of skin cancers to be concerned about.

Skin cancers of the feet are more often related to viruses, exposure to chemicals, chronic inflammation or irritation, or inherited traits. They tend to be overlooked in routine medical examinations, so take a proactive stance when it comes to your feet and give them a look every now and again.

Podiatrists are uniquely trained in the detection and management of skin disease. Skin cancers on the lower extremities can take on a very different appearance from those on other parts of the body. Podiatrists use their clinical examinations and skin biopsies to determine the occurrence and type of skin cancer. Just like your family doctor, podiatrists send off the skin biopsies to the lab to be analyzed. A skin biopsy is a simple procedure in which a small sample of the skin lesion is obtained, sent to the lab, and analyzed by a skin pathologist. If the lesion is malignant, your podiatrist will recommend the best course of treatment for the condition.

ABCD's of Melanoma... what to look for if you spot a lesion on your lower extremity:

• Asymmetry - If divided in half, the sides don't match.
• Borders - The look scalloped, uneven, or ragged.
• Color - It may have more than one color. The colors may have an uneven distribution.
• Diameter - It can appear wider than a pencil eraser (greater than 6mm)

If you spot a lesion, mole, bump, or patch on the skin that meets any of the above criteria, please contact my office immediately. 

Picture by Will Blake (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons