Good Foot Care Makes Sense!
We’re realists here at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center. We realize most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their foot health. Luckily, we’re here to remind our Fairfax County patients that April is Foot Health Awareness Month! It’s easy to increase your awareness of your feet and learn how to keep them healthy. Just use your senses.
Remember learning about the five senses back in elementary school – sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing? Here’s how to use four of the five as tools to help you perform regular foot self-exams:
- Be aware of what your feet look like so you notice if something changes. Changes in your foot’s overall shape, for example, can signal a structural problem that can worsen over time. Has the existing mole on the top of your foot grown bigger or darker? Look at your toes – do they lie flat, or is one of them starting to bend at the joint?
- Does your toe hurt when you touch it or move it around? And how does your skin feel – soft and smooth, or are there many hard calluses? Numb areas could indicate a circulation problem. What about temperature – does any spot feel unusually warm or hot? Bring all of these concerns to our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm, especially if you have diabetes.
- Foot odor is a real problem for some people, and not just when they’ve been actively sweating. If your feet frequently smell bad, our board-certified podiatrist can tell you if the odor is due to hyperhidrosis or something else.
- Snapping or crackling noises that come from your feet when you walk or from your ankles when you rotate them may be the start of the trouble, such as osteoarthritis. Noises accompanied by pain or difficulty moving are a reason to contact us today.
Use Foot Health Awareness Month and your good senses to commit to taking better care of your feet. Make an appointment with Dr. Wilhelm whenever your feet signal a problem that interferes with your daily activities. Call our office in Centreville, Virginia, at (703) 996-3000 or contact us online.
