It feels like just yesterday that we were soaking up the Australian sun, enjoying the best that a Melbourne summer has to offer. But the cold weather is well and truly upon us!
Nothing screams “winter” more than getting cozy on the couch with a hot drink and watching a movie. However, cold weather can also mean changes in foot health.
Despite the lack of social outings and activities in winter, you shouldn’t neglect your feet. After all, they are the foundation of your body, so ensuring that your feet are healthy can continue to keep you healthy as well.
Because winter normally means spending more time at home, it is important to consider a couple of these things.
Footwear
The footwear that you choose to wear at home is just as important as what you wear out of the house. Just because you’re at home, it doesn’t mean the structures in your foot are immune to developing complications. This means wearing shoes at home with adequate support to ensure you don’t fall victim to the infamous “ugg boot foot”.
So, what is “ugg boot foot”? This generally presents as pain in your feet (most commonly in your heels and arches) and develops from wearing slippers or being barefoot at home. Inadequate footwear can easily lead to injuries and falls. Your ugg boots and slippers may be warm and comfortable, so we definitely don’t blame you for getting cozy in a pair of them at home! However, prolonged wear can cause complications in your feet.
But what is so bad about slippers? Of course, they are warm and comfortable, however, they can lead to falls or foot injuries due to their lack of support and fixation. This lack of support increases the strain on the structures in your foot. The muscles and tendons in your arch and toes actually have to work harder to ensure your slippers are staying in the right spot and staying on your feet. Also, the muscles in your legs are working harder to decrease the impact on your joints when you’re walking. Eventually the muscles and tendons will fatigue and you will be left suffering the consequences.
Dry Skin
Dry skin can also be problematic during winter. This is due to spending more time inside “dry air”. However, staying indoors isn’t an excuse to keep your feet hidden and neglected.
If left untreated, cracked heels can develop into deep fissures that can be quite painful and in some cases manifest into an infection. Moisturising your feet daily will help to prevent something like this from occurring. In fact, winter is the perfect time to implement a “self care” routine. Run yourself a bath, listen to some music, and once you’re done, deeply moisturise your feet. It may not seem like a lot, but by simply moisturising your feet, you’re improving the integrity and suppleness of the skin. Any moisturiser will do, however a urea based moisturiser works best for restoring skin elastically and retaining skin moisture.
Fungal Nails
Winter also means less time in open toe shoes, which for some means hiding persistent fungal nails for a couple of months.
A fungal nail is also known as onychomycosis and is a fungal infection of the nail plate and underlying nail bed. They can present as thickened, yellow nails which have a chalky texture, meaning that they crumble when cut.
Fungal nails have what is called an “insidious onset”, meaning that they come about slowly and progressively, with most patients being unable to pinpoint the time when the infection first occurs.
Generally, fungal nails don’t resolve immediately and require long term ongoing treatment. So, why not get that treatment started during winter so your fungal nail is improving by summer?!
Read our blog post “Condition Spotlight: Fungal Nails (Onychomycosis)” to learn more about fungal nails.
Chilblains
As the weather get colder you are also at risk of developing chilblains. Chilblains are discoloured patches on the skin on the tips of the toes. These patches can become swollen and itchy and in some cases, can develop into ulcers. The risk of developing chilblains is associated with the body’s reaction to changes in temperature.
The body’s circulatory system is made up of arteries, veins and capillaries that carry blood to every cell and this system is particularly sensitive to temperature. In hot temperatures, blood vessels that are close to the skin expand so that excess heat can be lost to the air, which ultimately cools the body down. In cooler conditions, these blood vessels constrict to conserve body heat which over a prolonged period can deprive the extremities of peripheral circulation, resulting in chilblains.
Some examples of how chilblains can arise are entering your warm and toasty house after being outside in the cold. If you’re someone who tries to warm yourself up by propping your feet next to the heater then we have bad news for you… this can actually exacerbate the condition, so focus on warming up your whole body instead!
Our top tips for preventing chilblains are keeping your body and feet warm! Wearing wool blend socks, such as Explorers, can help to keep your feet nice and toasty. Ensuring you’re preventing drastic changes in temperature can also decrease your risk of developing chilblains.
If you’re suffering from sore feet, cracked heels, fungal nails, or chilblains, make an appointment with one of our superstar podiatrists here at Watsonia Podiatry! Call us on (03) 9432 2689 or book online to make your appointment today!
