Last week on our #WednesdayWisdom Vlog we went through some quick and easy exercises that you can do, helping to improve foot function and circulation, missed it? You can catch up by clicking here. A great time to be checking your feet is before you start doing these exercises. The foot check and the exercises go hand in hand, so you can build both in to your daily routine, and not forget to do either!

So, what are you checking for and how do you do this? The first thing to always pay attention to is any changes that you notice in your feet. We advise taking pictures on your phone of your feet on at least once a month unless you see something unusual or abnormal for you. This not only helps you to have a record of any differences, but, are also great to show your Podiatrist at your next appointment so that they can use them for comparison. 

Not only should you be checking and taking pictures of the skin itself, any cuts, blisters, or healing areas, as the way in which these heal, can point out circulatory issues. Also include any area of differing pigmentation, for example, freckles and moles, which can help in the early detection of melanomas. Whilst checking the skin, also check the texture of the skin. Are your feet getting itchy, dry, flaky? Can you see any rashes or patches of discolouration? This could be down to, amongst others, hormonal changes, allergies, eczema, psoriasis or an infection. Again take regular pictures of these areas, and write down any symptoms. Include these when next seeing your Podiatrist. 

Check between the toes, is the skin broken at all, are white patches apparent, is the skin peeling? This might be a result of not drying the skin properly, excessive perspiration, or even athletes foot. 

Next, fully check your nails, any changes in shape or colouration? These can help to identify different deficiencies and infections. Again, keeping a record of this is really important so as to be able to show health care professionals. 

Now, take a comparison of both your feet, are you finding that one foot is colder to the touch than the other? Are you often getting cramp? If so, is it one foot or both? Make a note of any differences that you see or feel here. This could be a result of circulation issues and can guide you and health care professionals to diagnosing different health conditions. 

Check your individual joints, are any red and inflamed, if so do you know why this is? Did you hit your toe? Or are you unsure of what happened? Again snap a picture of this and check on it daily, taking the pictures where necessary to your Podiatry appointment. 

Lastly, check your heels and the backs of your feet. Are they severely cracked? Just looking really dry? Is your moisturiser not able to completely rehydrate the foot? Is it time to let us take a look at it? Although not always the case, dry feet can be caused by dehydration so, it is super important to drink lots of water during winter to combat the affects that the colder weather can have on our skin! For further information on importance of staying hydrated especially in the winter click here.

Please note that if you see any drastic changes to your feet between your daily checks these should be spoken about as soon as possible with a Podiatrist for further investigation. Please bring all photos and notes with you so that we can see the changes that have occurred. 

Unable to get to us due to shielding? We can offer video consultations to ensure that your feet are still checked regularly and problem areas are discussed, just call us on 0207 228 8383 and we can get this booked in for you today.