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Health Tips

Foot Health Is Important!

The average American walks 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day – the equivalent of walking four times around the earth during a lifetime. April is National Foot Health Awareness Month and the American Podiatric Medical Association reports that three-quarters of all Americans will experience foot health problems at some point during their lives.

The importance of foot health care is even greater for the 18 million Americans with diabetes. "Many people living with diabetes have some form of diabetic nerve damage which impairs the sensation of feeling in their feet," said Dr. Satwinder Singh, Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease, of the Wound Healing Center, a service of Delta Regional Medical Center. "Fifteen percent of people with diabetes will experience a foot ulcer. Of those, many will develop a chronic wound that, if not properly treated, could lead in the most severe cases to amputation."

The Wound Healing Center offers these health care tips for putting your best foot forward:

· Running puts three to four times more pressure on your feet than walking. Joggers should buy new running shoes approximately every 400 miles and daily walkers need to changes shoes every six to nine months.

· Your feet contain a quarter of a million sweat glands and you should always wear socks with shoes. Change your socks daily and purchase seamless socks made out of synthetic fibers that move moisture away from the foot.

· Women have four times as many foot problems as men thanks to fashionable shoes and high heels. Buy shoes that fit comfortably in the store without expecting them to stretch to fit your feet.

· Shop for shoes in the afternoon when your feet are at their maximum length and width since feet swell during the day. Most everyone’s left and right foot are different sizes so it is important to have both measured while standing up for an accurate reading.

· If you purchase custom-made inserts, don’t buy more than one at any given time. The size and shape of your feet may change and you should be fitted every four months.

· Cut toenails straight across at a length slightly longer than the tips of your toes. Use an emery board to smooth the corners.

· Let a professional fit you if you have a bunion, hammer toes or another foot health problem. Medicare will reimburse a certain amount of money for one pair of prescription shoes each year and up to three pairs of custom inserts annually. If you have other insurance, you should check with your provider for specifics.

· Diabetics should never go barefoot and need to inspect the inside of their shoes daily for torn linings and foreign objects. They should also examine their feet each day for blisters, cuts and scratches using a mirror to see the bottoms of their feet. Diabetics’ feet need to be examined during regular health care visits or at least four times a year.

For more information about chronic foot wounds and diabetes disease management contact The Wound Healing Center located at the West Campus of Delta Regional Medical Center, 300 Washington Avenue, click on www.deltaregional.com ,or call (662) 725-7606.

Delta Regional Wound Healing Center specializes in the treatment of chronic wounds and non-responsive conditions and offers hospital-based outpatient wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy as well as disease management.