Despite the major importance of your feet in your day to day living, very little is said when it comes to foot health. The best way to keep your feet healthy is focusing on preventive foot care. This involves getting regular checkups with a podiatrist, in addition to getting medical help as soon as you experience foot pain. Below you will find helpful information on why foot care and health are important.
Why Foot Care and Health Are Important
The average American walks between 3,000 to 4,000 steps each day. This is equivalent to roughly 2 miles each day. Your feet often help you travel effortlessly through the day. Your feet may seem like simple structures that get you from one point to the next. However, they are highly complex as feet are made up of over 50 bones, 200 muscles, and 60 joints, tendons, and ligaments.
Due to the complex nature of your feet, in addition to how often you use them, foot pain is highly common. In fact, roughly 77% of Americans experience foot pain. With that, only one-third of them would seek help from a podiatrist. Foot pain can impact more than just your feet so it is important to seek medical care when you are in pain, in addition to focusing on preventative measures to ensure your foot and overall health are in good shape. If you experience persistent foot pain for more than a few days, it’s time to contact an experienced podiatrist that can diagnose and treat the issue. They can help treat your current issue and help you focus on healthy effective preventative measures to ensure the longevity of your foot health.
Health Risks Associated with Poor Foot Care
Foot pain doesn’t just impact your feet. In fact, your ability to walk around is integral to your quality of life, ability to be productive in a physical sense, and engage in regular physical activity.
- Quality of Life: One’s ability to be fully self-sufficient is an integral part of daily life. Working, getting groceries, and walking around are all daily activities that help you maintain self-sufficiency. Foot pain, or worse, can impact your ability to do these things. The pain and discomfort can also impact your mood which can reduce your quality of life.
- Day to Day Productivity: Depending on the type of job you have foot pain can impact your ability to work. Reducing your day to day productivity can impact your finances, self-esteem, and overall mood. This is especially true if you are a caretaker at home as it can impact your productivity levels.
- Physical Fitness: Regular exercise is an important part of your life. It can improve your physical and emotional health as research has shown the major benefits of physical activity. Foot pain can inhibit your ability to exercise as it can reduce the amount of exercises you can do, and make it difficult to even get to a gym. This can impact your physical health as it can lead to weight gain and muscle loss. It can also increase your risk of heart disease which is very serious.
Podiatry and Preventative Foot Care
Are you experiencing issues with your feet? Or maybe you just need to get a checkup to ensure you are in good shape. Either way, contact the team at Harbor Health and Apothecary. They are skilled in Gig Harbor podiatry, in addition to utilizing compounded medications to provide you with effective treatment. They provide patients with a comprehensive approach to foot pain and related issues by combining their podiatry practice with compound medications to assist you on your path to wellness as quickly as possible. Contact Harbor Health and Apothecary as they are the top community pharmacy in Seattle.