Foot Health from Childhood to Adulthood: Key Lessons for Every Stage
Keeping our feet feeling their best is critical in gaining all the health benefits of movement, not only for today but for life. By adopting the right practices at every stage—choosing proper footwear, strengthening muscles, and seeking early medical intervention— you can enjoy healthy, pain-free feet throughout life. Feet are the foundation of our body. Keeping your foundation strong can help prevent life-long issues and allow for more independence and agility in life. Proper foot care ensures mobility, prevents life-long ailments, and supports overall well-being for children and adults.
Start with a Strong Foundation
Properly fitting shoes are essential for everyone, even the youngest little feet. Poorly fitting shoes for children and adults can lead to long-lasting foot issues like ingrown toenails, corns, and calluses. A few other things to keep in mind for a strong foundation for good foot health are:
- No matter how attractive a shoe is, it should offer great arch support and be lightweight and comfortable. The wrong shoes will weaken your foundation and can cause pain in the toes, legs, hips, and back.
- Do not ignore foot pain. Painful ingrown toenails may be the result of wearing shoes that are too tight. If pain persists, it may require a doctor’s attention.
Strengthen Your Foundation
As we all know, “life happens,” and as we go through different life stages, our activities change, as do the demands on our feet. Incorporating a few activities into our routine can keep our feet feeling great!
Strengthening exercises and massaging can be two of the best things to do for our feet. This is especially helpful for Fallen arches, also known as flat feet. Fallen arches can result from an injury or wear and tear on the foot muscles and tendons as we age. Stretching is not recommended, but some things you can do to help strengthen your feet are:
- Arch massage -Gently roll your arch over a golf ball or a gun massager
- Heel raises: Raise your heels and put the weight on the balls of your feet. Hold for a while, then lower your feet.
- Toe walking—Walking with heels in the air, like tip-toe walking, can strengthen the muscles in your feet and ankles.
Stretch Your Foundation
Many fun beginner-level Yoga postures target the legs, knees, hips, and feet. These postures can help reduce pain and avoid overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis or tendonitis. Regular stretching of the muscles and tendons associated with the feet can keep muscles strong and help you avoid common injuries.
Rest Your Foundation
Foot Sprains are often caused by overuse, making movement painful and difficult. Pain is the body’s natural way of telling us we need to pay attention. The RICE method is a useful treatment for foot pain relief.
- Rest – rest the foot.
- Ice – apply ice to the area to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
- Compression – wrap the foot to prevent swelling.
- Elevation – keep the foot raised above the level of your heart to reduce throbbing pain.
Individuals can enjoy healthy, pain-free feet throughout life by adopting the right practices at every stage. Choose proper footwear, strengthen muscles of the foot and surrounding area and address any foot pain using options like the R.I.C.E. method. Always listen to your feet. If discomfort won’t go away, don’t hesitate to consult with an orthopaedist. If you live in Central Texas, call CTX Foot and Ankle Center at 254-313-9559 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bednarz and start your journey to get relief from your foot pain today
