Your feet face increased challenges sustaining your mobility as you get older. Years of wear and tear plus declining circulation and skin resilience make elderly feet more vulnerable to discomfort, infections, and injury. Keeping feet healthy amid natural aging requires diligent care and quick treatment when problems do occur.
Monitor Foot Changes
Carefully checking feet daily or weekly becomes essential as you age. Older nerves lose sensitivity, making it harder to feel irritations or tissue damage on feet before bigger issues erupt. Catching subtle changes early helps treat them promptly limiting complications.
Inspect feet for any new callouses, cracking, ulcers, thick or discolored nails, corns, or suspicious spots. Use a mirror to examine the heels and bottoms, since problem areas hide easily out of sight. Note any changes in pain patterns when walking or standing along with swelling, irritation, or temperature differences between feet.
Don’t ignore sporadic soreness as just normal effects of aging. See a foot and ankle specialist like those at Beyond Podiatry promptly to diagnose why pain signals appear. Getting treatment quickly improves healing outcomes before small pains become chronic disabilities.
Practice Diligent Foot Hygiene
Declining eyesight or flexibility makes properly cleaning feet more difficult, increasing infection risks. Enlist help from a caregiver if needed to thoroughly wash feet daily. Use gentle circulating motions all over each foot with a soft washcloth and soap concentrating on between the toes.
Gently file down thick callouses after bathing when softened by water. Apply moisturizer evenly over the entire foot massaging it in well, especially on cracked heel areas prone to further splitting. Carefully dry all surfaces between toes to prevent fungal or bacterial growth in left moisture.
Soak feet in warm Epsom salt water to soften callouses if excessive hard build up exists. Use clean clippers after bathing to trim nails straight across to prevent painful ingrown toenails as you age. See a foot care specialist regularly to remove troublesome corns or callouses too thick for home treatment.
Select Supportive Footwear
Finding properly fitted shoes becomes essential as feet spread or slip into abnormal alignments with age. Ill-fitting shoes cause pain accelerating damage, leading to limited mobility. Specialty shoe stores have measuring devices to properly size elder feet before selecting the best shoe models for individual conditions.
Replace shoes showing uneven wear patterns, creasing, or compression lines indicating poor alignment assistance. Don’t wear the same athletic shoes for different activities, putting uneven strains on feet. See a podiatrist for custom orthotic inserts or specialty braces if needing extra foot support because of pronation or compromised arches. Keeping aging feet stabilized and cushioned prevents further damage.
Listen Carefully to Foot Pain Signals
Due to less acute nerve sensation, pain alerts regarding aging feet present differently, requiring careful attention. Note exact locations where aches or soreness arise rather than ignoring subtle discomforts. Watch for swelling, red areas, changes in gait stance to shift pressure off certain spots which indicate injury or strain.
Don’t shrug off cramping or shooting pains as just something to live with. Seek diagnosis for sudden or unexplained foot pain which could signal circulatory blockages or nerve damage needing prompt care. Catching and treating foot issues early helps get back to normal function faster even into later years.
Conclusion
Caring attentively for feet becomes crucial as you age to keep your independence. Check feet regularly for changes and keep them very clean daily to prevent infections. Be proactive finding proper footwear replacements when existing shoes no longer support shifting feet adequately. Seek quick diagnosis for any pains signaling underlying damage or disease requiring treatment. Prioritizing diligent foot care safeguards mobility to actively enjoy later years.
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