Walking

Walking offers a host of benefits, including controlling weight, improving cardiovascular fitness, reducing blood pressure, and keeping your feet in top shape. It is important to pay special attention to your feet when walking. Not stretching properly or walking with an improper gait can lead to foot pain or even injuries.

Walking Shoes

The great thing about walking for exercise is that the only equipment you need is a pair of shoes that provide adequate support. Walking shoes should have flexibility in just the right places, should give a little when you twist them, and should bend at the ball of the foot. A professional can help fit you with a shoe that will support your type of gait.

When is it time for new shoes?

You should replace walking shoes every 300-600 miles.

If shoes are causing blisters, corns or calluses, it is time to consider a new pair.

Consider using your walking shoes only for exercise to extend the life of them.

Walking Routine

Create a walking routine. Pick a couple days a week and stick to them. Maybe there is a path by your home, maybe you want to walk with your dog or with a partner, maybe you do best indoors at a gym. Whatever it may be, walking is great for your feet and for your health.

Image by Susanne Nilsson. Walking the Dog. (2015). Flickr.

Foot Problems

About 75% of Americans suffer from some type of foot problem. There are an array of problems that can strike the feet, but they typically fall into one of the following categories.

Foot problems can be:

Acquired - improper footwear, physical stress, or small mechanical changes within the foot.

Arthritic - either from normal wear and tear, from a previous injury, or from an autoimmune disease.

Congenital - typically inherited, these problems occur at birth.

Infectious - caused by bacterial, viral or fungal disorders.

Neoplastic - an abnormal growth of tissue that may be benign or malignant.

Traumatic - associated with foot and ankle injuries.

Can you match the diagnosis to the type of foot problem above?

1. Callus

2. Athlete’s Foot

3. Tumor

4. Sprained ankle

5. Clubfoot

6. Rheumatoid arthritis

No matter what type of foot or ankle problem you are dealing with, it is always a good idea to see a specialist to get a thorough examination, an accurate diagnosis, and a course of treatment and/or prevention.

Image by Elvert Barnes. Self.Hand.Foot.SW.WDC.30nov05. (2005). Flickr.

Fun Foot Facts

On average, an adult takes 8,000 - 10,000 steps a day. That equates to walking around the earth more than four times in your lifetime.

During an average day of walking, the total forces on your feet can total hundreds of tons.

About 75% of Americans have some form of foot problem.

Women have approximately four times as many foot problems as men. Wearing high heels is a contributing factor.

A two and a half inch heel can increase the load on the forefoot by 75%.

There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. They can excrete about half a pint of perspiration per day.

One foot is often larger than the other.

A toenail takes about six months to grow from base to tip.

A quarter of all the bones in the human body are in the feet. When bones in your feet are out of alignment, it throws off your whole boy.

Feet mirror your general health. Foot problems can be a sign of a more serious health problem.

Image by Ken Wilcox. Day 254 - Feet. (2009). Flickr.

What do you know about foot and ankle arthritis?

1. What is the most common form of arthritis?

a. Osteoarthritis

b. Rheumatoid arthritis

c. Posttraumatic arthritis

2. What is osteoarthritis?

a. Normal wear-and-tear

b. Arthritis after an injury

c. An autoimmune disease

3. In osteoarthritis, the “blank” in the joint gradually wears away.

a. Bone

b. Muscle

c. Cartilage

4. Arthritis can lead to bone rubbing on bone, which can produce what?

a. Broken bones

b. Bone spurs

c. Bunions

5. Joint deformity is a sign of which type of arthritis?

a. Osteoarthritis

b. Rheumatoid arthritis

c. Posttraumatic arthritis

6. Dislocations and fractures are the most common injuries that lead to posttraumatic arthritis. True or False?

7. Which of the following are symptoms of arthritis?

a. Pain

b. Inflammation

c. Tenderness

d. Joint swelling

e. All of the above.

8. An injured joint is more likely than an uninjured joint to become arthritic, even if the injury is properly treated. True or False?

Check the comments below for the answers.

Image by Leimenide. Question Mark. (2008). Flickr.