The human foot is a marvelously complicated yet efficient machine, comprised of over 100 working parts, including as many as 28 bones working in conjunction with ligaments, tendons and muscles. All of this supports and balances our entire body, and in the course of normal walking bears up to 1.5 times our body weight on each foot. This pressure is enormous, and with the average foot traveling 1,000 miles a year, it is no surprise there are many injuries.
Proper attention to the health of your feet is vital at any age.
Medical foot care can become a necessity when individuals have a condition that doesn’t allow them to perform their own foot care. These conditions often include poor eye sight, breathing problems, hip/knee replacement, heart condition, circulation problems, pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, or lack of flexibility. Feet that are left unattended become prone to ingrown toenails, calluses, corns and fungal infections.
Medical foot care involves an assessment of lower extremities and feet, skin care, and toenail hygiene using preventative techniques. Our foot care nurses are qualified to clean feet; trim/cut toenails; repair heel cracks; treat corns and calluses, fungal nails, and ingrown toenails; file nails; moisturize the skin; and provide vital education and information on products and proper care between appointments.
Testimonial
From the first day I contacted Sara for a foot care appointment she has always been prompt to respond by e-mail as well as being very flexible and accommodating to suit my schedule. Sara takes the time to do a thorough diabetic foot care assessment and the actual foot care. I really appreciate that she contacts me when it is time for my next appointment and her fees for her time are more than reasonable.
Sara shows care and compassion while ensuring comfort during the foot care and never leaves anything for me to clean up when she is finished and my feet feel wonderful. —K.M.L.L.
During an initial foot care appointment, detailed paperwork will be completed.
Our foot care professional will then do an assessment by examining:
skin/nails (corns, calluses, cracks, ingrown toenails, fissures); structure of the foot (hammer toe, claw toe, overlapping digits, bunion); circulation in the lower extremities (swelling, color, temperature); sensation (pain, numbness); mobility (range of motion); footwear.
If you are a diabetic, a short diabetic test will be done on each foot to assess levels of sensation. The initial appointment is usually an hour with follow-up appointments being anywhere from 30-45 minutes.
Diabetic Foot Care not only consists of foot care itself, but also involves careful assessment of sensation and other diabetic symptoms. For a client with diabetes regular foot care is essential as sensation loss (peripheral neuropathy) can allow a minor irritation to become an advanced condition such as an ulcer, which can potentially lead to amputation.
49-85% of all diabetic foot related problems can be prevented.
Approximately 15% of all diabetic people will be affected by a foot ulcer somewhere during their life.
85% of amputations are preceded by a foot ulcer.
Diabetics with one amputated limb have a 50% risk of having the second limb amputated.
People with diabetes who had an initial amputation within the first 5 years, has a 50% mortality rate.
You can find foot care products at
www.anatechinc.com or locally at Moffat’s and MacKay’s Pharmachoice in Dartmouth, NS and at the Joseph Howe Superstore in Halifax, NS. Also for more information, visit
www.simcan.net.
