- They remember that abusing flip flops can cause fasciitis and tendinopathies and that wearing heels of more than four centimeters for many hours causes calluses and calluses, as well as bunions, claw toes and back pain.
- They recommend keeping your feet hydrated, using sunscreen, and wearing cotton socks and breathable shoes to avoid blisters.
- They warn that many melanomas appear on the feet, with lesions both at the plantar level and in the interdigital spaces
Valencia, 10th August 2021 – Chiropodists of the Ribera healthcare group warn of problems such as fungus, plantar warts or papillomas, hypersweating and cracks, blisters and chafing on the feet in summer, and recommend the control and monitoring of these incidents to prevent them from ending up in muscular problems in the lower extremities or in back pains. In addition, they remember the consequences of abusing the use of flip-flops or excessively flat shoes in summer: they can cause plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathies, among other pathologies.
There are many patients who come to the podiatrists of the Ribera group health centers with fungi and viral infections, such as plantar warts. They are not serious pathologies, but they can be very annoying. And, in addition, they are generally very contagious. "One of the most recurring problems in summer is the appearance of fungus on the feet, which usually cause an itching sensation and are very annoying for the patient," explains Carlos Perucha, podiatrist at the Torrejón University Hospital, one of the few public health centers in the Community of Madrid with this consultation in its portfolio of services, and which is specialized in all diabetic foot problems (prevention of ulcers, treatment, check-ups and diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease and neuropathy, to avoid amputations). To prevent the appearance of fungus "we must use breathable footwear and thus control hyperhidrosis and avoid excess humidity." His partner Alejandro Herrador, a podiatrist in Santa Justa Bank recommends that to avoid both fungus and blisters, "which appear due to a high temperature inside the footwear and excessive sweating, it is advisable to wear cotton socks."
They also advise that after each bath or shower you dry your feet very well, focusing especially on the interdigital area -between the fingers- "to avoid excess moisture in those points, where fungi tend to proliferate."
Along with fungi, the appearance of plantar warts caused by the human papillomavirus is also very common at this time of year. "They are small lesions that can sometimes be confused with corns or calluses when in reality it is a viral infection and is very contagious," explains the chiropodist at the Torrejón Hospital. It tends to proliferate in humid areas, especially in showers for public use such as swimming pools, changing rooms, and gyms, which is why the use of flip-flops is recommended in those spaces.
Alejandro Herrador, a podiatrist from Ribera Santa Justa, also insists that "keeping our feet hydrated is essential, since we wear them uncovered for many hours a day and they tend to dry out easily." María Jesús Pérez Amor, podiatrist of the Clinics Polusa Santo Domingo, attributes these effects "to contact with the sand, which produces microabrasions that, together with the excessive temperature of the small burns on the skin of the soles of the feet, the heat and salinity of the sea water increases the dryness of said area”. His colleague in Torrejón, Carlos Perucha recommends using creams with urea in a percentage between 10 and 20%. Herrador recalls the importance of putting sun protection on your feet “and not forgetting about this part of the body”, an aspect that María Jesús Pérez Amor also highlights. “The skin of the foot is largely forgotten in sun protection. In fact, many melanomas, the terrible skin cancer, usually debut on the feet, with lesions that appear both at the plantar level and in the interdigital spaces ”, she explains.
Proper footwear is key to avoiding injuries
And to avoid all kinds of injuries, it is very important to wear the right footwear. "It is very frequent that in summer patients with these problems come to the consultation and the cause is always the excessive use of flip-flops or very flat sandals and without any type of ankle support," says the chiropodist at the Torrejón Hospital, Carlos Perucha. “The ideal footwear is one that has a heel of about 2-3 centimeters in height, cushioned sole and some fastening element, be it laces, closure or velcro, to give stability to the foot”, he explains.
But if wearing a very flat shoe is not healthy, it is not healthy to abuse the heel for many hours. "Heels above 3-4 centimeters in height have been shown to alter biomechanics, forcing more weight and pressure to be placed on the forefoot," he explains. According to Perucha, this position of a body standing on high heels for a long time "can cause mild discomfort such as chafing, blisters, calluses or calluses, but also more severe alterations such as bunions, claw toes or Achilles tendinopathies". There are even cases in which this type of footwear "causes back pain, because it causes a lot of instability and forces the body to constantly balance itself."
