All South Bay Footcare

Show Your Feet Some Love and Check Out These Links

For more information about orthotics, including exercising your toes and buying the right shoes, check out these links. To learn more, call All South Bay Footcare at (310) 986-2925:

• The Los Angeles Times has an article about the importance of toe exercises.
• For information about the foot problems caused by diabetes, check out this page from WebMD.com.
• HowStuffWorks.com has an article about how to take care of your feet, including a subsection on buying the right shoes.
• For information about how to exercise your toes to avoid hammertoe, check out this piece from LiveStrong.com.
• The Mayo Clinic explains flat feet, including symptoms and treatments.

How to Properly Take Care of the Diabetic Foot

Unfortunately, diabetes can eventually lead to nerve death, especially in your feet.  If this happens to you, you will be at serious risk of eventually losing parts or all of your feet to amputation because of infection.  Keeping your blood glucose at an acceptable level should prevent or halt the progression of nerve death.

In this video, the speaker gives some excellent advice about how to keep your feet from being infected.  Worn patches in the shoes can be problematic, so it’s important to check your feet for signs of injury daily. Finally, make sure to test your bath water with a thermometer before you get in the tub: Anything over 95 degrees is too hot and could hurt your skin.

If you have diabetes and are looking for an expert in orthotics to help ensure the health of your feet, visit All South Bay Footcare. We perform foot surgeries that include bunion surgery and corn removal. If you live in the Los Angeles or Torrance areas, call us at (310) 986-2925 today.

The Perfect Shoe: Finding a Good Fit

Good shoes can make all the difference between a busy and enjoyable afternoon running errands and a seemingly endless trudge through the supermarket without a seat in sight.  To learn how to avoid painful shoes that could ultimately lead to so much discomfort that you need foot surgery, try these tips:

• Know Your Size: By the time most people have reached adulthood, their shoe sizes have stabilized, which means that buying shoes is simply a matter of knowing your size.  However, there are a few issues to keep in mind. For example, feet tend to enlarge as you age, especially if you run, exercise frequently, or have been pregnant.  To avoid cramming your foot into a too-small shoe, have your doctor or an employee at a shoe store use a sizing scale to measure your feet.
• Wear Your Socks: To get an accurate idea of how a pair of sneakers is going to fit, be sure to wear a pair of athletic socks to the store.  The stocking booties that many stores provide aren’t nearly as thick as your actual socks, which is why wearing the booties instead of your socks will not give you a true idea of how your shoes will fit under normal circumstances. 

• Understand Your Quirks: Shoes come in standard sizes, but feet don’t.  In order to ensure that you get an excellent fit, you’re going to have to be aware of how your feet in particular differ from the norm.  If you have exceptionally narrow ankles, for instance, you’ll have to be on the lookout for a specific pair of athletic shoes that does not have excess space at the ankle.  This extra space will mean that the shoe will keep slipping up and down as you walk, scraping your skin and causing blisters.

If you want to make sure that you find the best shoes possible for your particular needs, visit All South Bay Footcare.  Serving the Los Angeles and Torrance areas, our offices can offer advice on orthotics and help you overcome problems that might make shoes fit poorly.  For more information about the foot surgeries, call (310) 986-2925 today.

The Importance of Exercising Your Toes

When you’re targeting a body part during your exercise routine, you’re probably focusing on bones and muscles larger than your toes.  However, exercising your toes can be extremely important. Here’s why:

• Decrease Pain
  People who are on their feet for most of the day usually have painful feet within a matter of hours. If you exercise your toes on a regular basis, your whole foot will benefit, and you’ll be able to stand for longer periods of time.
• Improve Balance
  Most people don’t really consider the purpose of toes in the first place. In fact, they’re there to help improve a person’s balance. The more you exercise them, the more mobile they’ll be, and the better your balance will be. If you’re not the most graceful person, you might want to give toe exercises a try.
• Rebuild Arches
  Flat feet are incredibly painful and can only be partially alleviated by medical devices. Certain toe exercises, however, actually exercise the arch of the foot as well. The more often you exercise your toes in this particular way, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to raise your arch back up. You probably won’t be able to achieve a normal arch, but your feet will no longer be completely flat and you’ll be in much less pain.

If you’re interested in what toe exercises can do for you, consult with an expert in orthotics. In the Los Angeles and Torrance areas, visit All South Bay Footcare. We handle everything from toe exercises to foot surgery. In fact, we perform corn removals and bunion surgery, and improve the health of ingrown toenails. For more information, call (310) 986-2925 today.

Curious about Foot Problems and Their Treatments? Check out These Links:

If your feet are causing you pain, you might find these resources helpful and insightful. All South Bay Footcare offers a variety of solutions that treat your podiatry problems. Schedule an appointment at our Torrance practice by calling (310) 986-2925 today.

• The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons presents an overview of the symptoms and treatments of ingrown toenails.
• Read a fascinating article from Runner’s World about pronation problems.
• The University of Chicago Medical Center offers a helpful article explaining the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.
• If you suffer from pronation or supination difficulties, check out this page for a thorough explanation of choosing orthotics.
• From bunions to corns, learn about common foot problems and their treatments at All South Bay Footcare.