4 Foot & Ankle Tips to Start the New Year Right from Phoenix Podiatrist

We made it! 2022 is finally here. The pandemic is still testing our patience with work from home and the on and off restrictions on our daily lifestyles for the past year–it is no surprise some of us (me included) have fallen off the bandwagon. Well, it’s a new year. I invite you to read below for ideas on how to get a clean start for 2022 in your foot & ankle health.  Cheers to 2022!

1. Declutter & refresh your shoe closet

Start going through your shoes, whether an athletic shoe or high heel, if it’s too narrow in the toe box, has rips, worn lining…get rid of it. With great websites like dsw, zappos, clarks, vionic, dansko–you can find affordable and stylish shoes that come in wide widths if you need to replace your shoes. I often get a shoe size measurement for my patients and find they are in ½-1 size too small. If you stock your closet with shoes that fit you appropriately, you’ll be less likely to fall into patterns of Achilles Tendonitis, Plantar Fasciitis, and Stress Fractures.  Coming to Arya Foot & Ankle is a good choice if you’re not sure what kind of shoes to buy for your foot type. I measure and do gait analysis for my patients to make the appropriate recommendations to keep them active. We put a lot of miles on our feet, the least we can do is try to dress them in shoes that fit!

2. No Mate? Get rid of ‘em! 

Socks.  We’ve all had the situation where we are up at 5am, ready to start our day, only to find out we pulled out two mismatched socks. Or somehow we lose a sock in the dryer. Where do they go?! How frustrating! Well, 2022 is our time to declutter. Socks and underwear tend to be overlooked and under cared for–we allow them to stay in our drawers completely mismatched, shrunken, with holes– and still try to squeeze ourselves into them. From a podiatry standpoint, socks that are too small can lead to ingrown toenails and foot cramps. Why do we hold on to these small pieces of cloth when they are tattered with such vigor? It is time to treat your feet right and avoid more nail and skin issues by replacing your socks. One Marie Kondo hack we love is purchasing many of the same color/style sock, so that when you store them it’s no big deal if they are mismatched. 

3. Attack the bathroom

We have a tendency to “forget” about clutter because we throw things into drawers and close them, we add all kinds of lotions and potions to the drawers and oftentimes never go through them. From a podiatry standpoint, what you use to clip, file, and paint your nails needs to be cleaned often. We recommend going through all your drawers and getting rid of nail polish that has been opened and sitting for 12 months or longer. Throw out the 1oz of Acetone left in the big bottle and put it on your list to purchase a new one. We recommend sanitizing all of your nail tools, including files and nippers with alcohol and/or a UV light sanitizer. When you replace your polish, look for brands that are at least “5-free.” Read about the nail lacquers with “5, 7, 10, and 12 Free'' meaning they don’t contain certain chemicals that damage or dry the nail, and minimize carcinogenic ingredients. You’ll want to replace your polishes with ones that skip these toxic chemicals: DBP, Toluene, Camphor, Xylene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, TPHP, Colophonium, Silicones and Halides. Companies like Kapa Nui, Zoya, and Butter are just a few.  My article about healthy nail polish is here. 

4. Jumpstart your new year with some TLC

During the winter our feet are often covered with socks, shoes, and boots. Since no one can see them, we tend to be less attentive to our feet during these seasons. Rather than overlook our dry skin or thickened nails, I suggest patients use the quiet time of winter to be more attentive to their feet.  It’s time to treat your feet. If you do not have any open wounds, cuts, or sores–soak your feet in warm water with a drop of dish soap. Check your nails and make sure they are short and straight across. If your heels are dried and cracked, come see us–I’ve got some easy prescription strength fixes for those problems. If you see any new corns, cracks, or wounds on the bottom of your feet—please come see me before the severity worsens.

We wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2022. You can schedule an appointment online here or call us at 602-309-8788. Thank you for reading.

If you liked this blog, check out our article : Are Pedicures Safe?

Author

Dr. Shylaja Arya Dr. Arya is the owner of Arya Foot & Ankle, a podiatry practice that serves the greater Phoenix area with same day, Saturday, and lunch time appointments. She is a level 500 yoga instructor, tennis player, dog mom and shoe lover!