Could your footwear be damaging your feet?

COULD YOUR FOOTWEAR BE damaging your feet? 000 Your choice of footwear may be damaging your feet. Shoes that do not fit correctly, offer limited arch support or cause instability can result in long and short term injuries to your feet, knees, hips and lower back. How can you make sure that your footwear is not harming your feet? FLIP FLOPS Possible Injuries Flip flops injure 200,000 people every year costing the NHS £40 million. Heel pain Trauma caused by the heel repeatedly losing contact with the sole of the shoe. Bunions Hard lumps of bone and tissue from increased pressure on the foot's joints and tendons. Tendonitis An inflammation of Stress fractures the tendons caused Tiny cracks in the bone by overusing toe muscles when occur due to lack of .... shock absorption when walking. gripping the flip flop. Hammer toes Painful deformities caused by bending toes unnaturally. INJURY PREVENTION 1 Flip flops should only bend at the ball of the foot. Your heels and toes should fit within the edges 2 of the sole. 3 A flip flop with a wedge under your foot arch will provide support. Choose wide straps that will secure your foot 4 to the shoe. 5 Cork soles offer the greatest shock absorption. HIGH HEELS 19% of women do not believe that they should seek medical help for foot complaints from high heels. High heels start to cause pain after one hour, six minutes and 48 seconds. A third of high heel wearers remove their shoes on a night out to Possible Injuries relieve the pain. Haglund's deformity A bony lump on the back of the heel caused by the foot rubbing against a rigid backed shoe. Ankle injuries Imbalance can cause high heels wearers to fall or twist their ankle. Corns and calluses Hard areas of Hammer toes Deformities caused by wearing ill fitting high heels that cramp your toes. dead skin which form to protect the foot from pressure caused by ill-fitting shoes. Metatarsalgia Pain in the ball of the foot due to bodyweight being transferred to the area when wearing high heels. INJURY PREVENTION 1 Choose a high heel shoe which fits snugly. A cushioned sole can support the ball of your foot. Alternate between high heels and flat shoes to 3 avoid calve contractions. A thicker heel offers more stability than a 4 stiletto heel. A high heel with a gradual slope places less 5 stress on the foot arch. RUNNING TRAINERS Runners who wear expensive trainers are 123% more likely to sustain an injury than those wearing cheaper 65% of recreational sports people in the UK wear the incorrect footwear versions. for their chosen sport. Possible Injuries Blisters Caused when your Achilles tendonitis foot rubs against tightly fitting shoes. When burst, they can lead to infection. Inflammation of the Achilles tendon caused by unsupportive footwear putting the area under pressure. Subungual hematoma Bleeding under the toenails caused by ill fitting shoes allowing feet to slide forward and constantly tap the top of the shoe. Plantar fascilitis Inflammation of the Abductor hallucis pain ough arch support can result in pain on the inside of the foot arch. Shoes without bottom of the foot when trainers do not adequately support the heel. INJURY PREVENTION 1 Buy trainers from shops specialising in running shoes, then get them checked by a podiatrist. Be prepared to buy a shoes in up to a size bigger than usual as feet can swell when running. 3 Walk around in your new shoes before running in them to wear them in. 4 If your trainers do not feel comfortable after running in them for a week, ask to exchange them. You should replace your running shoes every 300-400 miles to keep them in good condition. TOP 10 FOOT COMPLAINTS 55% BLISTERS 45% CRACKED HEELS 28% VERRUCAS 24% CORNS 20% INGROWN TOE NAILS 20% ATHLETE'S FOOT 13% BUNIONS 11% JOINT PROBLEMS 9% EXCESSIVE FOOT ODOUR 8% MUSCULAR PROBLEMS 9% ARTHRITIS Sources http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/the-timeline-flipflops-2039012.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/flip-flops-foot-problems_n_3569222.html http://www.scpod.org/foot-health/feet-for-life-month/campaigns-archive/feet- for-life-month-2013-embarrassing-feet/ http://www.webmd.com/women/features/tips-to-avoid-foot-pain-from-high- heels?page=3http://gizmodiva.com/other_stuff/high_heels_harm_her_research_shows _you_pay_a_lot_more_for_those_heels_than_u_thought.php http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/foothealth/Pages/Choosingsportshoes.aspx http://neuroanthropology.net/2009/07/26/lose-your-shoes-is-barefoot-better/ http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/injury-prevention/the-top-5-most- troublesome-running-injuries_11316/1 http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/4-ways-prevent-foot-pain-and-injuries http://www.active.com/running/articles/runners-and-foot-injuries-4-causes-of- foot-pain?page=2 http://running.about.com/od/shoesapparelandgear/ht/runningshoe.htm