At Patrick Fettinger, DPM we hope that our Fairfield county patients are taking all necessary precautions to stay safe during the coronavirus outbreak. We also want to offer families who are stuck home an educational and fun opportunity by sharing some suggestions for observing National Foot Health Month.

Some Fun Facts

Your feet are amazing structures! Here are some facts about feet that children (and many adults) may not know:

• A pair of feet contain 52 bones—that’s 25% of the total number of bones in your entire body! In addition, they have 66 joints, 214 ligaments, and 38 muscles.
• No wonder feet are ticklish—there are more sensory nerve endings per square centimeter on the bottom of your feet than anywhere else in your body!
• Feet contain 250,000 sweat glands that are capable of producing up to ½ pint of sweat a day.
• The average person walks approximately 115,000 miles in their lifetime. That’s like circling the globe over four times!

Keeping Feet Healthy

There are lots of simple steps that every family member can take to protect the health of their feet. Brainstorm together as a family and develop your list of healthy feet tips. Here are some of our favorites:

• Keep feet clean and dry. This means washing at least once a day. Change socks and shoes if they get wet and do not allow feet to stay in sweaty socks.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Did you know that smoking harms your feet? It decreases circulation which is important for getting oxygen-rich blood to your legs, feet, and toes. Exercising regularly and eating a nutritious diet that helps you maintain an appropriate weight are other lifestyle choices that keep your feet healthy too.
• Take care of toenails. Jagged nails should be trimmed or filed. Don’t peel nails off. This can lead to injury or infection. Don’t cut nails too short or they can become ingrown.
• Keep your shoes on, especially when you are out in public places like the gym locker room or gymnastics studio. Fungal infections like athlete’s foot are picked up by direct contact.
• Not sharing is caring—when it comes to your feet! Don’t borrow other people’s shoes or socks or use the same towel on your feet that someone else does. This will prevent the spread of infection.
• Contact our podiatrist, Dr. Patrick J. Fettinger, in our New Fairfield (203-746-9660) or Middlebury (203-598-0357) office too if you experience any foot or ankle pain or notice any unusual changes in your feet like rashes, bumps, swelling or skin or nail discoloration.