Foot Health

Definition

Definition:

Definition

• Wearing improper fitting footwear (tight fitting shoes in toe area)

• Deformed toes

Symptoms: Pain is caused by repeated friction.

Treatment & Prevention: Liquid Filled Massaging Insoles redistribute the weight evenly across the foot, eliminating any friction or excessive pressure on the feet. The glycerin fluid cuts the friction forces and absorbs the shock. This alleviates the pain and allows the corns to heal.

Wear wider and proper fitting shoes.

Condition: Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Definition: Diabetic neuropathy, a condition in which nerve function deteriorates in the body's extremities, leads to a gradual loss of feeling in the hands, arms, legs, and feet. Patients may experience numbness, pain (e.g., tingling, shooting pain, burning sensation), and weakness in the extremities.

Causes: Diabetics suffering from neuropathy can develop minor cuts, scrapes, blisters, or sores that they may not be aware of due to insensitivity in the feet. If these minor injuries are left untreated, complications may result and lead to ulceration and possibly even amputation. Neuropathy can also cause deformities such as bunions and hammer toes. It is very important for diabetics to take the necessary precautions to prevent all foot-related injuries. Daily observation of the feet is critical. When a diabetic patient takes the necessary preventative foot care measures, he or she reduces the risk of developing serious foot conditions.

Symptoms: Patients may experience numbness, pain (e.g., tingling, shooting pain, burning sensation), and weakness in the extremities.

Treatment & Prevention: Liquid Filled Massaging Insoles can help improve circulation as the glycerin fluid pumps up and down along the arch of your foot. This all-day massaging action improves blood flow and circulation in the feet and lower body. The "pump" action creates and releases pressure on your feet as you walk. This push and release action flushes the blood pools that have accumulated on your feet and allows new oxygen rich blood to flow in. Also, the insoles protect the soles of your feet by contouring to you feet, reducing the friction forces to your skin and absorbing the shock to the feet.

Wear natural fiber socks. In2Feet offers Copper Socks by Aetrex, which are great for diabetics, and can be used in conjunction with our Liquid Filled Massaging Insoles and Lynco Orthotics by Aetrex.

Control your diabetes.

Wear proper fitting footwear.

Inspect feet regularly.

Condition: Heel Spurs

Definition: Heel spurs are a bone growth that extends from the heel bone, particularly on the bottom front of the heel bone and sometimes slightly to the side. Usually, a heel spur forms where the plantar fascia ligament attaches to the bottom of the heel bone. Those who overuse, or put heavy stress on the plantar fascia, are at risk of developing heel spurs.

Causes:

• Heel spurs develop as an abnormal growth in the heel bone due to calcium deposits that form when the plantar fascia pulls away from the heel. This stretching of the plantar fascia is usually the result of over-pronation (flat feet), but people with unusually high arches (pes cavus) can also develop heel spurs.

•  Women have a significantly higher incidence of heel spurs due to the types of footwear often worn on a regular basis.

Symptoms: Heel Pain.

Treatment & Prevention: Liquid Filled Massaging Insoles or orthotics align you feet and distribute the weight of your feet evenly, giving instant relief to heel spurs. And, it soothes the irritated muscles attached to the heel bone. They also massage your feet, increasing circulation. This increase in circulation appears to slowly dissipate calcium buildup. It's accomplished as fluid pumps up and down along the arches of your feet to the ball of your feet. The insoles also provide a cushion which helps to absorb the shock as you walk.

Stretching exercises.

Lose weight.

Condition: Lower Back Pain - Hip Pain - Knee Pain

Definition: Every step you take puts pressure on your legs, hips and spine. When there is a problem, you can have unnecessary strain on the heels, legs, knees and lower back.

Causes: There are many causes of knee & lower back pain and can include:

• Arthritis

• Ligament injuries
• Bursitis
• Walking/standing on hard surfaces

Symptoms: Poor posture and limping.

Treatment & Prevention: Liquid Filled Massaging Insoles and orthotics align your feet into their proper positions. Your shin bone becomes misaligned when your foot improperly settles in the longitudinal arch. This misalignment continues up to the spinal column, causing discomfort to the knees, hips, legs, lower back and upper back. Plus our insoles act as shock absorbers. Within 4-5 weeks, you will notice relief in all of your weight-bearing joints.

Condition: Morton's Neuroma

Definition: Morton's Neuroma is an enlarged nerve that usually occurs between the third and fourth toes.

Causes: Wearing shoes that have a tapered toe box, or high-heeled shoes that cause the toes to be forced into the toe box. Activities that involve repetitive irritation to the ball of the foot, such as running or racquet sports. People with certain foot deformities—bunions, hammertoes, flat feet, or more flexible feet—are at higher risk for developing a Neuroma.

Symptoms: A burning sensation, feeling a bump on the balls of your feet, pain, numbness and tingling.

Treatment & Prevention: Liquid Filled Massaging Insoles lift and support the longitudinal arch, shifting the excessive weight from the metatarsal arch. This allows the metatarsal bones to settle back into their proper place, and helps reduce the nerve pinching that causes Morton's Neuroma.

Wear proper fitting footwear.

Apply ice to the area.

Condition: Poor Circulation

Definition: Proper blood circulation is vital to good health. As the blood moves through your body, it provides your organs and tissue with important nutrients, carries out your body's waste, helps fight germs, regulates your bodies’ temperature and heals wounds.

Causes: Poor circulation is most commonly caused by a progressive blocking of the arteries in the leg (atherosclerosis). Those with diabetes are more likely to develop poor circulation to the foot. Other risk factors for developing poor circulation include a lack of physical activity, smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Symptoms:

• Claudication - dull cramping pain in the calf muscle that comes on after walking a certain distance - it is relieved by rest.

• Numbness or tingling in the foot or toes can occur.

• Changes in the color of the skin (it becomes more pale, bluish, or reddish).

• Changes in skin temperature (the foot becomes cooler).

• Skin infection and sores do not heal as well as they should.

• Tired feet – can be caused by many conditions and can include: fibromyalgia, damaged nerves, bone pain or restless leg syndrome.

• Burning feet - can be caused by gout, diabetes and Neuroma (a trapped nerve).

• Swelling of the feet and ankles - build-up of excess fluids or inflammation of adjoining tissues.

• Gout - is a build-up of uric acid (a toxin excreted by the muscles), usually in the big toe. When circulation in the feet is constrained, the uric acid cannot flush out of the system and the swelling from this is very painful, especially when walking.

Treatment & Prevention: Liquid Filled Massaging Insoles improve circulation as the glycerin fluid pumps up and down along the arches of your feet. This all-day massaging action improves blood flow and circulation in the feet and lower body. The "pump" action creates and releases pressure on your feet as you walk. This push and release action flushes the blood pools that have accumulated on your feet and allows new, oxygen-rich blood to flow in.

Become more active.

Keep your feet raised.

Warm water soak.