Get your feet fit for summer

Lorcan O’Donaile, podiatrist and owner of Achilles Foot Clinic .

It’s been a particularly long winter this year I think we would all agree. However hope is on the horizon, the evenings are giving us that grand stretch and we are all looking forward to the summer.

Here at Achilles Foot Clinic, every single summer we notice a rise in summer related issues. These include dry cracked heels, achilles tendon pain and acute plantar fasciitis flare ups, stubbed toenails on the beach and the odd splinter in the foot.

The spring and summer of 2020 saw a sizable increase in those out walking and running and 2021 is looking like doing the same as we all try to mind ourselves mentally and physically. So this month I wanted to give some of my top tips to keep you moving on those feet all summer long:

1. Moisturise the feet daily.

Having our feet exposed to the air for months on end usually leads to a drying out of the skin and in particular the back of the heels. Moisturising your feet, especially after a shower will help keep that hard and cracked skin at bay. Urea-based creams are always better than water-based when treating the feet, e.g. CCS cream over E45.

A little trick is to apply loads of cream, wrap the feet in cling film and sit up with a cuppa for 30 mins once a week. This is a great way to turbo boost moisturising your feet. Exfoliating the feet with a pumice stone or emery board 1-2 times each week will help keep the skin soft and ready for those sandals!

2. Avoid catching your toenails.

Cut your toenails every two-three weeks. People ask ‘should i cut them straight across?’ No cut them following the parabola of your toe, just like you do with your finger nails. Follow this up with a quick file. This will help prevent ingrown toenails and keep the nails from cutting through socks/shoes.

3. Keep Athlete’s Foot at bay.

Dry the feet thoroughly to ward off Athlete’s Foot. Athlete’s Foot is a fungal skin infection that thrives in warm, moist environments so a warm summer day in runners and boots is an ideal time for it to develop. Always thoroughly dry between the toes after showering and if you find you are getting very sweaty feet, salt weather bathes of surgical spirits may be the answer - ask an expert if unsure.

4. Avoid powders.

An old wives tale is to use powders on the foot. As much as we might have been told in the past, applying foot powder is not the best treatment for resolving fungal infections or sweaty feet. In many cases it makes things worse. What happens is the powder absorbs the moisture and stay on the foot as a wet powder - an environment a fungal infection would just love. So stay away from powders and follow step 3.

5. Stretch those calf muscles.

What’s going on inside the body is always just as important as what we can see on the outside, so coming up to the summer, start working on those calf muscles!

Wearing sandals and open backed shoes puts the calves under much more strain. The lower heel all of a sudden combined with tighter calf muscles from the footwear choices of the winter leads to excess strain on the calves. In my clinic we see a surge every summer of heel pain due to this exact reason. The worst cases are those who run on the sand all of a sudden. Adding a few calf stretches and strength exercises can make a real difference and keep you from hobbling!

6. Flip flops are not for walking.

I am not a fan of the flip flop. No support, feet having to grip them constantly and leg muscles stiffening all to be able to walk. For the majority of the population, they are not a good choice if you want to stay injury free. Not only do the flip flops affect the muscles but it also affects the toes. As we all know flip flops can sometimes be hard to keep on, so what helps keep hold of our flip flops is our toes! Our toes claw to keep us steady which in long term can become problematic.

7. Let your feet breathe!

During the summer our regular shoes can become hot and clammy. To combat this, try and keep the feet out as much as possible. Wearing sandals with a closed back is always better than open-backed to protect the muscles. Walking on the beach and getting salt water and sand is fantastic for our feet but remember to moisturise later.

8. Spoil your feet regularly.

Especially in the summer months, the feet sweat and can be put under more pressure as we’re always eager to spend every minute outside in the good weather. To give the

feet a little TLC and keep them fresh, soak your feet for 10 minutes in warm water with some tea tree oil or epsom salts!

Hopefully we are going to have a long warm summer and we will all get to see more of our own fabulous country as we staycation. Remember your feet give you the independence to enjoy the summer and you would be stuck without them. Care for them this summer and you won’t end up like countless others who limp into my clinic for help because they forget who important they are to them.

My final bonus tip is don’t forget the sunscreen on the feet. Nobody likes a sunburned foot!

See achillesclinic.ie.