Our Top Tips For Taking Care Of Children's Feet

Children are full of energy and constantly on the go. They are always running, kicking or jumping so the health of their feet is very important. Here’s a few tips to keep on top of them:

Have your children’s feet measured

It is important to ensure your childen are wearing correctly fitting shoes and as children’s feet grow so quickly we recommend having their feet measured, both in width and length, regularly.

Inspect their shoes for unusual wear

Unusual wear can be a sign that there is a problem with your child’s foot posture, which can lead to other issues. If you are noticing wear in unusual places we recommend you book an appointment for your child to see a podiatrist.

Have different pairs of footwear

We’d always recommend that you have different pairs and styles of footwear available to ensure your child isn’t wearing the same shoes everyday, alternating between different shoes can allow the shoes to dry out from sweat and help to prevent fungal infections.

Check the size of their socks

As with poorly fitting footwear, wearing socks that are too tight for your child can lead to rubbing to the skin and blisters. Keep an eye on their size and update if necessary.

Inspect their feet regularly

You should regularly check your children's feet for inflamed nails, red pressure marks on the top of the small joints of the toes, below the ankle bones and at the back of the heel. If in doubt contact your local podiatrist.

Wash their feet daily

Using soap and water, clean the feet and between the toes every day and make sure to dry them properly to prevent fungal infections.

Cut their toenails carefully

When it comes to cutting your children's toenails, never cut down the sides of the nail or cut them too short - follow the line of the nail at the tip and leave the corners just clear of the fleshy part of the toe as to not cause them to ingrow.

6 Simple Tips For Healthy Feet

Following a few simple tips can go a long way to ensuring your feet stay in healthy condition. Here are 6 easy to implement tips we recommend:

Wash Your Feet Every Day

When wearing socks all day - whether that be running, going for a walk or just going about your day to day life, - it is easier than you’d think to build up sweat. This is why it is important to wash your feet everyday, with warm and soapy water, and crucially don’t forget to clean between your toes! This can help to prevent fungal infections, such as Athlete’s foot.

Pay Attention To Your Socks

Whilst we’ve talked about cleaning your feet daily, we really need to recommend changing your socks daily too! Fresh socks everyday will help to avoid sweaty feet in the first place, as fungus and bacteria grows in sock fibres, leading to fungal and bacterial infections. Also make a note of any holes in your socks - they might be an indicator of badly fitting footwear - especially if you’re seeing it across multiple pairs!

Trim Your Toenails Regularly

Whilst cutting your toenails is one thing, technique is just as important! When cutting your toenails, make sure you cut straight across - not too short and don’t cut down at the corners. Cutting your nails incorrectly can lead to an ingrown toenail, which may lead to pain or even surgery.

Keep Your Feet Moisturised

Dry or hard skin on your feet is not unusual - think of the day to day rigours they go through! In that same way you’d moisturise dry hands it’s important to moisturise your feet too. Try doing this daily, but NOT between your toes as this can lead to fungal infections.

Wear The Correct Footwear

It’s important that you wear well-fitting shoes in your actual, proper, no-excuses, size! Ok - we’ve all just squeezed into a pair that we really REALLY like, but wearing shoes that are too small or even too big inevitably leads to issues such as blisters, calluses and general pain. More problematic is that this can also lead on to further issues by altering your natural stride and that’s not worth the risk.

Check Your Feet

When was the last time you actually checked your feet? We all need to check our feet more - every week is recommended. We’re looking to spot any potential issues early so that they don’t worsen unnecessarily - so check your nails, between your toes and both the top and bottom of your feet - if you do notice anything you’re concerned about or something has changed then book in with your local Podiatrist and they can take it from there.

Foot Health Week 2022

This week is Foot Health Week! So let’s discuss the importance of taking care of your feet…

Without providing your feet with correct care and attention a number of different issues can develop. Five common issues that can occur include:

• Corns and Calluses - These are hard/thickened areas of the skin which are caused by pressure. To avoid this, or to prevent it from getting worse, you can try gently using a foot file while bathing and moisturising afterwards, alongside wearing footwear that is less likely to add pressure or irritate the corn or callus. Avoid using acid based devices without medical supervision and visit a Podiatrist for removal. 

• Athlete's Foot - This is a fungal infection that affects the feet. If you are experiencing this in the dry areas of your feet, such as the heel, ask your pharmacist for an anti-fungal cream or spray. If it is affecting moist areas, such as in-between the toes, wash your feet in cold water then dry them thoroughly - but make sure to dab, don’t rub. Avoid using moisturisers and/or powders between the toes and get your feet out to let the air get to your toes.

• Heel Pain - If you are experiencing pain around your heel, arch and bottom of your foot then it is likely to be plantar fasciitis. There are a few ways to manage this, including regular calf stretches, wearing well-fitting shoes with good heel and arch support, avoiding walking and/or exercising on hard ground and resting regularly. With that said, avoid self diagnosing - any instance of heel pain is worth referring to a Podiatrist for proper assessment.

• Ingrown Toenails - This is when the toenail grows into the skin, usually your big toe. They can cause a great deal of pain and if left untreated, may lead to infection, so it is important that you keep your feet clean, cut your toenails straight across to stop them digging into surrounding skin, gently push the skin away from the nail and wear well-fitting shoes. If the nail does not improve, see a Podiatrist as surgery may be necessary.

• Bunions - A bony enlargement that forms on the foot near your toes. To avoid or help with managing bunions, it is recommended that you wear shoes with more room for your toes, shoes with laces, straps or buckles are best. If wearing high heels then do so in moderation, 4cm or less and a variety in heel height is recommended.

If your feet are in need of some extra care at the moment, take a little time and follow some of our advice above. If you’d like, you can make an appointment with one of our HCPC registered Podiatrists by calling on 01706 655110 or just click here to book online!

Our COVID Secure Changes

As part of our return to the clinic following lockdown we’ve made a number of new changes. You may or may not be aware of guidance provided by Government to businesses in respect of creating what they call COVID Secure environments - we have implemented their guidelines and a number of additional steps as instructed by our professional body and the patient experience has changed to help maintain these practices, this includes:

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Before an appointment is placed all patients are pre-screened as per guidelines provided by our professional body and we have staggered each appointment to reduce the number of patients on site and coming into contact with each other at any one time. Our reception area has changed with a screen and social distancing helping to maintain a safe environment, with payment for appointments and the booking of future appointments now made at reception.

A new layout in the reception area includes seating placed 2 meters apart. We are advising all patients to attend alone where possible and not arrive too early to appointments. You will be asked to wear a face covering upon entering and use the wall mounted hand sanitiser before proceeding through into the clinic rooms.

Staff are routinely screened and each Podiatrist will be wearing a full compliment of personal protective equipment (PPE) comprising of a face mask, face shield or glasses, single use apron and latex gloves in addition to our standard safety measures.

In each of our clinic rooms we have introduced transparent screens and floor tape to help promote safe distancing between patient and Podiatrist along with the continued use of our air purifier system. By reducing the number of available appointments in a day we've also been able to implement more detailed cleaning routines between each patient.

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If you had an appointment cancelled...

For those patients who have had appointments cancelled as a result of the lockdown you should have already been contacted and offered a rescheduled appointment. If not, or if you were holding off a little while longer, please feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience and we'll get you booked back in as soon as possible.

If you have been waiting to book an appointment...

We are now able to accept new appointment bookings for almost all of our services so please feel free to get in touch on 01706 655110 or book online via our online booking system.

Thank you all for baring with us over these trying times, continue to look after yourselves and each other - we can't wait to you all again soon.

Coronavirus & Hand Washing

As Podiatrists and health care professionals one of the very first key lessons at University we are taught in infection control is the importance of the simple act of washing our hands correctly.

This is demonstrated to us by the use of a UV hand washing tool kit. We are asked to apply a hand gel, then wash our hands using our normal technique and then put our hands back under the UV light. Where we have not removed the initial hand gel properly is visible under the light and immediately demonstrates the need for a much more thorough technique! After this, we fully understand the importance of washing hands before and after every treatment, and know to take our time and do it thoroughly. 

Hand washing under UV light (Hand to right washed longest, credit metro.co.uk)

A key defence in reducing the spread of any infection including the Coronavirus is hand washing as the virus enters through the mucous membranes when we touch our mouth or nose.

Here is the NHS advice video explaining how to do it correctly:

• We should wash our hands for at least 20 seconds. 

• When arriving home or into work

• After coughing sneezing or blowing your nose

• Before preparing and eating food

Soap and water is very effective as it destroys the lipid membrane of coronavirus. Hand sanitizer is the second choice when hand washing facilities are not available, though it must contain 60% or more alcohol content to be effective.

Frequent hand washing can lead to dry and cracked hands and irritant dermatitis, this is especially difficult if you already suffer from a skin condition such as Eczema. 

The British association of dermatologists have advised that after soap and water hands should be patted dry and not rubbed and after that emollient can be applied to replenish moisture in the skin, but every time there is a risk of infection the hands should be re-washed.

Stay healthy, and remember keep washing those hands!