PAC Blog
Sweaty Feet
My feet are so sweaty it’s embarrassing. Jokes abound about smelly, sweaty feet, however, if you persistently have wet, uncomfortable feet you know it is no laughing matter. Sweating helps our bodies cool down, but if your feet sweat profusely in hot weather and cold, you may have Hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating. In addition to being unpleasant and often embarrassing, sweaty feat can cause a host of other foot conditions including blisters, plantar warts and athlete’s foot. If you are suffering from sweaty feet, here are some [...]
Weekend Warriors
Tips to keep weekend warriors injury free Many time-deprived parents know that engaging in an intense bout of exercise one day a week while remaining sedentary the other six days increases their risk of injury, but they still persist with irregular, hard workouts. I understand completely as I’m often at fault of the same behaviour. Since my son arrived this summer, I have been trying to balance my desire to spend as much time with him with my busy clinical schedule. On the days I work this means I rarely [...]
Put shoes at the top of your back to school shopping list
It’s back to school shopping time. As school-aged children play hard and grow during the summer holidays, new shoes should be at the top of all parents shopping lists. Here are the tips I give parents who visit my clinic: • Never hand shoes down from an older child to a younger child even if the shoes are only slightly worn. The shoes may not fit the younger child properly and the wear patterns from the older child will be incorrect for the new wearer. […]
Plantar Fasciitis Tips
After a deep sleep, you should feel refreshed and ready to take on the day, but many Canadians wake up with foot pain instead. Do you have pain in your heels and through the arches of your feet? You may notice pain in the morning or after you’ve been sitting for a while. If so, you could be dealing with plantar fasciitis. This condition is caused by a swelling of the plantar fascia, which is the main tendon that holds up your foot arch. Plantar fasciitis is one of the [...]
Why do my feet hurt more when I stand?
Tired, achy feet are normal after a lengthy period of standing but if your feet hurt in one particular area after a long day on your feet, you should book a consultation with a Canadian Certified Pedorthist. When you stand, the same muscles in your feet fire repeatedly as the pressure on them remains constant. However, when you walk about, the pressure shifts to and from different areas of your foot as the same muscles aren’t working all the time. If you have a sore area on your foot, walking [...]
What is the biggest cause of foot problems?
As a Canadian Certified Pedorthist who sees many different foot conditions each day, I don’t believe any condition is greater than another. Foot pain is foot pain and nobody should have to live with it. I am trained to figure out the cause and solution to foot pain and seeing my patients feel and move better following treatment is one of my favourite parts of my job. Each day, the average person stands for up to five hours and walks about 10,000 steps with their feet serving as a shock [...]
What to do if One Foot is Bigger than the Other
I have one foot bigger than the other, how do I buy shoes that fit? It’s important to figure out what to do if one foot is bigger than the other. For your foot health and comfort, it is important to buy properly fitted shoes but if your feet measured at two different sizes (and most people’s do) how do you decide which shoe size to purchase? I recommend three different solutions, depending on your situation: Solution 1 for two different sized feet If one foot measures within a half [...]
What are heel spurs?
Heel spurs are a frequent culprit of foot pain seen in pedorthic clinics. The pain can range from a dull nagging ache that feels like there is a rock in your shoe, to an excruciating pain that prevents you from walking, standing or doing your regular activities. Also known as calcaneal spurs, heel spurs typically develop from repetitive damage to the heel which causes calcium deposits to form. Ongoing damage can lead to a buildup of calcium, which causes frequent pain. X-rays are often used to confirm heel spurs but [...]
What are hammertoes?
A hammertoe is a toe that has an irregular, permanent bend in the joint, in some instances causing the toe to resemble a hammer. Often painful or difficult to move, hammertoes may affect a single toe or all of the four lesser toes (toes that have two hinge joints). The most common cause of hammertoes is poorly fitting footwear. Footwear that is too tight at the toes or has an excessive heel height that forces the toes to be crushed into the toe box of the shoe will cause hammertoes [...]
Will my orthotics fit in all of my shoes?
When I am fitting a patient for foot orthotics for the first time, they often ask if they can wear their orthotics in all of their shoes. This is a great question. Custom made foot orthotics are highly effective as Canadian Certified Pedorthists make them to precisely fit your feet. However, to receive the full benefit of the orthotic, the orthotic needs to fit properly in your footwear. Often custom made foot orthotics can be transferred between similar types of shoes. For example, the orthotic that is made for your [...]
Don’t let a workout hurt you
Working out is great for your health but if you haven’t used fitness equipment before or you’re starting an exercise program for the first time it’s important to take some precautions or your goals of improved health may experience a frustrating and painful setback. Newcomers to the gym often head straight to the elliptical trainer because it provides a great workout, is easy to use and is usually in plentiful supply. But an elliptical can cause overuse injuries in the sensitive forefoot area as the foot never leaves the ground, [...]
Turn family time into active time
Spending time together as a family has numerous benefits for parents and kids alike and scheduling a weekly family dinner has often been touted as a great way to stay connected. In this digital age when Moms, Dads and children are spending much of their days on screens, a weekly family physical activity is an equally great way to bond as a family and also get in some much needed exercise. If each of your family members like different activities, alternate your activity each week so each family member gets [...]