Our feet are not something we think about too often unless they give us problems; when they do, our lifestyle suffers.

We also don’t usually associate the effects of ageing with problems relating to our feet; we are more likely to worry about how ageing affects our face.

However, about 80 per cent of people aged over 60 have problems with their feet.

You must keep in mind that your feet take the weight of your whole body; so if there is a problem, it can affect the way you walk, the way you look, the shoes you wear, the clothes you wear; the whole situation generally tends to make you feel miserable.

While taking care of our feet, here are some foot facts together with10 top tips and some simple steps you can take to help beat the toll of ageing. If you haven’t thought about forthcoming feet problems, sit up and listen.

Problems with feet can refer up the body to the back, hip and knee. However, the good news is that looking after your feet can prevent most of these problems. Investing a bit of time and thought into caring for your feet now can prevent them causing you pain later on.

Nails grow more slowly as we age due to reduced circulation

Let’s start with some foot facts:

• Each foot contains 26 bones and more than 100 ligaments;

• Your feet contain more than a quarter of all the bones in your body;

• The skin on your feet has more than 7,000 nerve endings.

• There are more than 125,000 sweat glands on each foot, more than anywhere else in the body.

• Your feet produce an eggcup’s worth of sweat each day.

Top tips from the UK’s National Health Service information on feet include the following:

• Don’t go to bed without washing your feet. If you leave dirt on the skin’s surface, it can become irritated and infected. Wash your feet every evening with soap and water;

• Dry your feet thoroughly after washing them and apply a moisturising foot cream;

• Gently remove hard skin and calluses with a pumice stone or foot file regularly;

• Always trim your toenails straight across, never at an angle or down the edges. This can cause in-growing toenails;

• Shop for shoes in the afternoon. Feet swell as the day goes on and if shoes fit in the afternoon when your feet are at their largest, you can be assured they will always be comfortable;

• If you have to wear heels at work, wear comfortable shoes to and from the office and only wear your smart shoes at the office. Also, try to vary the heel height, between low, medium and high;

• Be shoe savvy. Wear high heels and pointed shoes for special occasions only and always wear the right shoes for the job;

• Change your socks daily;

• Wear flip-flops to avoid catching athlete’s foot and verrucas when you use public areas, such as gym showers, swimming pools or hotel bathrooms;

• Don’t wear flip-flops all the time. They don’t provide support for your feet and can give you arch and heel pain if you wear them for too long.

If you’re over 60, foot care becomes even more important. Age takes its toll; your skin thins, your joints begin to stiffen and your feet become more vulnerable to the cold. Physically, it gets more difficult for us to reach our feet, and failing eyesight doesn’t help.

Therefore, go and see a professional for a foot ‘VRT’ every six months and never put up with foot pain as if it is normal. Your feet shouldn’t hurt. It is important to find a good, regular chiropodist or podiatrist who can treat your feet regularly.

Staying with the issues for older people, have you noticed how hard and thick the toenails become?

Generally, the nails grow more slowly as we age due to reduced circulation. However, years of the nail hitting against our shoes also makes them thicker.

Anything you do can affect nail health in the long term, for example, style of shoe, involvement in a sport or just nail neglect.

“It’s as if the body’s protective mechanism against the trauma is going into overdrive,” explains consultant podiatrist Michael O’Neill, of the UK’s College of Podiatry.

This can make nails more difficult to cut and one person in 50 will develop a condition called onychogryphosis – a ram’s horn toenail.

“It’s not just unsightly, it is painful when pressing against the end of a shoe,” explains O’Neill.

Some action advice includes using a file and a good pair of nail clippers on thick nails; these are sharper than scissors. O’Neill recommends having a bath first and, if you have a partner, cut each other’s toenails. However, those with onychogryphosis may need to see a podiatrist/chiropodist regularly to have the nail trimmed.

Some other advice relates to our balance (which we lose as we get older). Exercises to re-educate your balance receptors can help. Try standing on one foot when brushing your teeth and then try the same exercise with your eyes closed.

If you have cracked heels, moisturise your feet with a heel balm containing lactic acid, which can help exfoliate the top layers, while the urea in the cream can help replenish lost moisture.

kathryn@maltanet.net