Foot Care Archive

Heart-healthy Valentine's Day gift ideas include products and experiences designed to make it easier and more enjoyable to follow the key tenets of a healthy lifestyle: eating well, getting regular exercise, sleeping soundly, and managing stress. Examples include strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, a cooking class, custom-fit sneakers, luxury sleep products, and a subscription to a meditation app.

A bunion is a deformity of the foot that causes the big toe to turn inward toward the other toes. This can result in damage to the other toes, calluses, and trouble walking.

Like the rest of the body, the feet are vulnerable to the effects of aging. Women may be more susceptible to certain foot conditions due to hormone fluctuations during pregnancy and a higher incidence of decreased bone density with aging. But everyone's soft tissues become less elastic, making foot problems more likely. Foot conditions that can develop or worsen with age include stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, bunions, flat feet, and osteoarthritis. Simple measures, such as resting the feet and wearing supportive shoes, can help ease pain.

Walking and running share similar movements, but how the foot is supported differs, which is why most walking and running shoes are designed differently. When walking, the heels hit the ground first before the foot rolls forward to begin the next step. Because of this rolling motion, walking shoes are designed to have soft, flexible soles, which help a person push off with each step, and an angled heel to absorb most of the shock and reduce pressure on the ankles. In comparison, runner's feet strike anywhere from the heel to the midfoot or forefoot. Therefore, running shoes are designed to have thicker soles that act as shock absorbers.

Cracks in the heels occur when the skin on the bottom of the heel becomes hard and parched. Applying thick moisturizers often helps. If it doesn't, other causes may include athlete's foot, hypothyroidism, Sjogren's syndrome, or bone spurs in the heels.

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. It affects the band of tissue on the bottom of the foot that connects to the heel.

Nail fungal infections affect up to 14% of the adult population. While completely curing these infections is difficult, the right treatments can discourage the problem from spreading and make your nails look better.