October is Foot Health Month – an important time for us to remind all Australians about proper foot care.
Over the years, your feet can clock up some serious kilometres, taking a significant toll on the condition of your feet. They can carry a lot of weight and keep you going throughout your day but sometimes we forget how essential it is to take care of our feet.
Untreated foot problems can have a hugely detrimental effect on a person’s lifestyle and livelihood. Whether you spend your day in the office, on the shop floor or on the worksite, your feet have a large impact on how you feel – if your feet aren’t healthy, you can’t perform at your very best.
During Foot Health Month our mission is to remind our patients and the public about the significance of good foot health and encourage people to seek more information and treatment from a Podiatrist sooner rather than later.
Podiatrists take care of all sorts of foot problems such as:
- Skin problems.
- Calluses and corns.
- Nail disorders, like ingrown toenails.
- Foot injuries.
- Foot infections.
- Overuse injuries of the foot and ankle.
- Flat feet
However, one of the most serious foot health issues is lower limb amputation resulting from complications of diabetes. Diabetes prevalence figures in Australia are primarily estimated from findings arising out of the National Health Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. There are an estimated 1.2 million people aged 2 years and over (5.1%of the population) with diagnosed diabetes in Australia. Diabetes Australia recommends the following: “Visit a podiatrist annually for a check-up or more frequently if your feet are at high risk.”
Proper podiatric care has the potential to dramatically prevent amputation for a patient with a diabetic foot condition. Foot issues need to be identified and treated quickly and consistently to stop a minor wound becoming infected, ulcerated and, ultimately, resulting in the loss of limb to save someone’s life.