Girl Chat – High Heels and Foot Care
Looking after your foot care in this day and age is no easy feat.
No matter what your focus or passions in life, we are all leading hectic lives these days. Demands come from many different angles, leaving little time for our general foot care.
Whether we never have the time to look after our foot care or look for footwear, without our little distractions following us around; or perhaps it’s our career and commitments outside of work that give us barely enough time to give our feet the attention they deserve. Meeting the demands of life can often come at a cost to our footcare or footwear.
A lot of us are on our feet most of the day, with pressure put on the vehicle that gets us from A to B. Our feet are often are overlooked as a body part that needs TLC.
Today I sat down with our 3 female Podiatrists of East Gosford Podiatry – Alison Lyons, Kylie Kennedy and Elizabeth Kippist – To pick their brains on questions I have wanted to ask, but just haven’t had the time.
We all love the height and confidence a nice pair of heels gives, are high heels bad for your feet?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes, generally, high heels are not great…. But, our motto when talking to patients and footwear for ourselves is: everything in moderation.
If you choose to wear high heels or it is a work requirement – try changing into your high heels once you arrive at your destination – this will reduce the duration of the time you are wearing heels.
Along with this, if you have bad ankles, wearing high heels can affect your balance and increase risk of falls, which in turn, can put pressure on or damage your ankles.
What should I look for when buying high heels?
- Look at the heel height of the shoe – try to reduce the heel height and look at a thicker heel.
- Follow in the Spice Girls footsteps and look for a Wedge shoe… not as high as wore but having a small platform can give a bit of height, reducing the heel pitch by increasing the distance between the forefoot and ground.
- The heel structure is also important – try for a thicker heel, a wedge is also a good option – where it gives you more support through your midfoot.
- Wearing pointy toe shoes can add pressure to your toes which can lead to corns between your toes. Try and find a different shaped shoe – one that offers a little more space and movement at your toes.
- Some shoes come with the cushioned liner within the sole, which can provide a softer base. Custom orthotics can be prescribed to reduce pressure under foot.
But what if I am sitting most of the day in my heels – If I’m not standing in them, then they are ok?
You still will have pressure on your heel where your feet fall back in the shoe at height, and if you have a pointy toe shoe – you will still have pressure and sore toes from heels to contend with, as your body weight still creates pressure if the shoe is too narrow and high.
Where do I go to purchase footwear that will feel supportive and last?
Although it is enticing to buy cheap shoes from the local discount shoe stores, it is much better to have supportive shoes that fit our feet well. Footwear that is professionally fitted will provide comfort and support and reduce complications associated with poorly fitting footwear.
Stores that have shoes with features that Podiatrists recommend:
- Revere Shoes (We have a range of Revere Shoes in the EGP clinic)
- Beared Shoes
- Frankie4
Always ask if the store you are attending has a trained footwear specialist.
For more personalized footwear advice contact the EGP Clinic for an appointment.
We all love having painted toenails, I have heard it’s not good to wear toenail polish all the time, Why not?
The nail and nail bed can be greatly compromised due to the microscopic gap between the nail and the toenail polish. This can create a warm, moist area – which is the perfect environment for a fungal infection to grow. Constantly wearing nail polish can leave your nails yellow due to the pigment in the polish.
Thirdly, wearing toenail polish can constantly damage the nail and make them brittle when its applied without a base coat. Some of the chemicals in nail polish tend to dry the nail out.
What’s the solution? To find out more, you can pop into the clinic for an appointment to discuss other options.
General foot care we can do at home… what do we need to know?
Taking a quick minute to nourish your feet with moisturiser each day will hydrate them, making them feel amazing!
We love Heel Balm ($10 a tube @ East Gosford Podiatry) for our patients and ourselves. The cream is not greasy and doesn’t sit on the top of your skin like some creams do, it goes straight into the skin.
If you’re still finding they are still sticking to the sheets or not as smooth as you would like, book an appointment for a Podiatrist to assess and treat your feet, which you can then maintain from home! Foot care is essential for a busy woman these days.
