foot a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art. Your feet work hard during the course of your
lifetime but are seldom appreciated until they start to break down. Think about
it. Not being able to walk safely and
comfortably is going to put a serious damper on your lifestyle.
I don’t want to bore you
with details but I found the information by Eric Plasker DC in his book “The
100 Year Lifestyle,” fascinating. Did
you know that each foot has 26 bones, 58 joints and 107 ligaments? There are 19
muscles in each foot and 13 other muscles from the lower leg attach to the
bones of the feet. They work together to
provide balance, stability and mobility. The feet hold all of your weight while
protecting your knees, hips and spine from stress. Your feet form the foundation for your entire
body.
No matter how fantastic the
design you are going to develop problems with your feet as you grow older. Feet undergo certain changes associated with
age. The amount of wear and tear
experienced will depend on your lifestyle and your choice of shoes. I am not even going to touch on a discussion
of the shoes we wore as young adults, because it makes my toes cringe to even
them about it.
As you age, the muscles in
your feet weaken and the tendons and ligaments become less resilient. You lose some of the natural shock absorption
that you had when you were younger.
Aches and pains become more common.
By the time you are 50, you have lost nearly half of the fatty padding
on the soles of your feet. As you get older, terms like calluses, corns,
bunions, heel spurs, and plantar fasciitis rear their ugly heads, and these
conditions are only the tip of the iceberg.
Older people
often have chronic foot pain. In
addition to the usual corns and calluses, systemic problems like diabetes,
obesity and osteoarthritis factor into the picture. Foot problems in seniors
can lead to an increased risk of falls
and can lead to pain in other areas
of the body.
With proper foot self-care and health care you can
maximize the amount of mileage you get out of your feet as you age. If your
feet are otherwise healthy, your best strategy is exercise. Oh man, you can’t get away from that “E” word
no matter how hard you try. But, the
right exercises will stretch and strengthen those muscles and help keep the
tendons and ligaments supple. Exercise
and massage will increase the circulation to your feet. Pay attention to nutrition, moisturize
regularly, and treat yourself to a pedicure from time to time. Treat your feet as the important dignitaries
that they are.
Wear comfortable supporting
shoes, shoe inserts, or both if you are planning on increasing your activity
level (walking, running, tennis etc.) If
your feet are already bothering you, you may want to think about an alternate
exercise program. Swimming and bicycling
for example, put a lot less pressure on your feet. Remember, even if your feet hurt, that some
form of exercise is vital to offset problems later. Foot problems can often be
managed by your primary care physician but don’t be surprised or resistant if
he/she refers you to a podiatrist or an orthopedist. Your feet are surprisingly important if you
want to live a healthy and independent
lifestyle.
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