Common Foot Problems and Injuries
The following are some common foot problems, what causes them and how to treat them.
All of the advice given is from research.
Blisters:
Caused by friction, or rubbing. The effects of the blisters are made worse by dampness (sweat). Before the blister actually appears, you will always feel pain or a “hot spot”. As soon as your feet start to hurt, find the cause and remove it. Wrinkles in your socks can cause blisters, so make sure they are straight. Sometimes the seam of the sock will be the cause. Irish dancing magazine now produce a special sock with a smooth seam that will not hurt and cause blisters. Tight or new shoes are also a common cause. If you have had your shoes for a while, and your feet are growing, it may be time to get a new pair. Otherwise, you need to break the shoes in and soften them.
Wearing cotton wool, foam padding or ‘Ouch Pouches’ can help prevent blisters across the knuckles of your toes. I prefer to use Ouch Pouches as they work the best and are actually comfortable. If you already have a blister, or are getting one, a piece of moleskin, surgical tape or even good old duct tape can relieve further rubbing, and therefore stop the blister from getting worse or continuously hurting. There are also many blister-specific products available, such as Band-Aid Blister Block. These are a gel pack that protects the blistered area.
This next paragraph tells you how you can prevent heel blisters.
You’ll need a fair amount of sports tape for this one. Place vertical strips of sports tape along side of the heel, across the back, and down the other side, so that the entire hell has the vertical lines of tape covering it. Overlap them a little. Then repeat with horizontal lines of the tape. This really prevents rubbing, and so far has lasted for an entire day of dancing.
Calluses: A callous can be awful! They are caused by pressure and friction, which kills the skin. It then builds up, so you end up with a very thick and hard layer of dry, dead skin. Dancer’s will typically get them on the balls of their feet and the big toe. This then puts pressure on the normal skin beneath it, causing pain and a very uncomfortable burning sensation. Blood blisters can form under calluses and can be extremely painful.
If your calluses get severe, use a callus removing product such as those made by Scholl. These work by softening the skin and making it peel off, leaving the normal, healthy skin beneath it. Calluses can be avoided by wearing better fitting shoes - or small shoes cause pressure on the foot. You can buy special foam pads with a loop, which you hook over the toe. The pad then sits over the ball of your foot, padding it and protecting it. Ingrown Toenails: An ingrown toenail can be very painful. It is caused by pressure (usually from ill-fitting shoes) and improper foot care such as cutting the toenail too short. The pressure results in the tissue on the side of the nail becoming overgrown, and the nail groove (a small natural gap between the side of the nail and the skin beside it) closing up. This in turn results in irritation, swelling, pain and tenderness.
If the nail is left too long, it may also become infected, in which case, there may also be puss.
If you have an ingrown toenail, it can be beneficial and soothing to soak it in warm salty water. This is a natural antiseptic. You should also avoid wearing tight shoes, and wear only sandals, or no shoes, wherever possible to relieve the pressure on the toe. You should always make sure your toenails are never cut any lower than the little groove at the side, don’t be tempted to cut a little curve to get rid of the corner of the nail in the area. This can be a contributing factor towards getting ingrown nails, and if you already have one, it can make it worse. Infections in the area may need to be treated by a course of antibiotics. In severe cases, a minor surgical operation may be required to remove part of the nail. R.I.C.E.: A set of guidelines recommended for the initial care of injuries. Following these guidelines can aid the healing of an injury. Although these steps can help the injury heal, they should not be used as an alternative to going to the doctor, even if they do bring relief to the injury. Make sure you get the injury checked out by a doctor, and take their advice. The acronym stands for the following: Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation
It should be noted that RICE is not the order the actions should be taken, simply a way of remembering what they are. The following order is as you should do them:
Rest: As soon as an injury has occurred, you should rest it. Sit down and avoid walking and putting pressure on it. This should be followed for several days. Refrain from any activities that would aggravate the injury (i.e. Don’t dance or play sports). Any activities which put excessive pressure and strain on the injury will only result in lengthening the healing time, or causing further, worse damage to the area. You should wait until the swelling has subsided before you start dancing again. For more severe injuries, you should rest affected area entirely, especially at first - that means keeping the injury non-weight bearing. Elevation: Raising the injured area above the heart whilst you are resting it results in the blood flow and excess fluids being diverted away from the injury and its broken vessels. This will reduce the amount of swelling, bleeding and bruising to the area. With a leg or foot injury, the easiest way to do this is to lay on y our back and rest the leg on a stack of several pillows, making sure the injured area is supported. Ice: Ice helps to reduce the swelling and bruising as it makes the blood vessels contract (shrink). Ice should be applied to the area for periods of up to 15-20 minutes at a time, allowing about the same time without ice in between. This can be continued for up to 72 hours (3 days) after the injury.
Never apply bare ice directly to the skin, you should always have it wrapped in a cloth. If you cannot get ice or an ice-pack, raid the freezer for packets of frozen vegetables, they work just as well as an ice-pack!
Compression: Light compression after icing will help reduce swelling. This is done by wrapping an elastic bandage (such as a Tensor bandage or similar) around the area. Make sure not to wrap the bandage too tight, it should be loose enough that you can slip a finger under it. Start above the injury, and wrap downwards in a spiral motion. The bandage should overlap the layer above a little, but not too much. Never leave the bandage on overnight. |
