Four Ways To Take Better Care Of Your Feet This Summer

Summer is the season of poolside parties, walks on the beach, and jogs in the park. It's also a season that's pretty hard on your feet, thanks to the abundance of physical activity, high temperatures, and flat footwear. If you want to avoid foot pain and injuries this summer, follow these tips to take better care of your feet.

Choose sandals with arch support.

There's no doubt that simple sandals and flip flops are cute, but wearing them all of the time in the summer is not great for your feet. Most of these shoes lack arch support, so they'll make your foot sore if you're always in them. Protect your feet by shopping around for a pair of sandals with more structure and arch support. Make these your go-to pair, and wear other flip flops and sandals sparingly.

Keep your feet dry.

When your feet get wet and sweaty, fungi and bacteria can have a heyday. You don't want to end up with athlete's foot, ringworm, or a bacterial infection. So, get into the habit of wearing socks that breathe well. If your feet do get wet with sweat or water, change your socks and shoes as soon as you can. Also, disinfect your shoes with a specialized shoe spray after you sweat in them or wear them in warm temperatures.

Be nice to blisters.

When you first become more physically active in the beginning of summer, you may end up with some blisters on your tender feet. You'll want to care for these properly so they don't get infected or irritated. Try not to pop blisters -- your body will absorb the fluid and heal them in a few days. If your blisters do pop, apply some antibiotic cream to them so bacteria don't invade. Also, if you have certain pairs of shoes that always seem to cause blisters, retire them and wear shoes that rub less.

Ease back into physical activity.

Foot injuries like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis tend to appear when you add too much weight-bearing exercise to your routine too quickly. For instance, going from jogging 5 miles a week to 50 miles a week is likely to leave you with sore, injured feet! You'll greatly reduce your risk of injury if you slowly ramp up your exercise routine over a period of a month or more rather than kicking it into high gear overnight.

For help managing foot injuries, contact a podiatrist at a clinic like Collier Podiatry PA.