Don't Let These Painful Foot Problems Spoil Your Retirement

Even though you've retired, you see yourself as an active senior. You're in good health but a number of foot problems could keep you from getting out as much as you'd like. Many of these can be addressed by a visit to a podiatry services clinic like Aiken Maurice W, DPM PA, so don't suffer with these painful conditions any longer. Get back on your feet and be the active senior that you always planned to be. Here are some of the common foot problems that you may encounter.

Bunions

Abnormal bone growth at the base of your big toe can cause your big toe to be pushed over against your other toes. A lump appears at the outside of the base of the toe. Shoes rub against this lump causing pain and swelling. You may have difficulty finding comfortable shoes. There is no way to stop the bone growth, but your foot doctor can recommend surgery to reduce the size of the lump so you can wear shoes comfortably.

Hammer Toes

As the tendons in your feet lose flexibility due to aging, they can pull your toes inward so your toes point down; this creates an arch in your toes. Your shoes may rub the tops of your toes and cause painful sores. Your podiatrist can recommend shoe inserts that remove the pressure off of the toes so they relax into a more normal position. Surgery is also available to release the tense tendons if the non-invasive approaches don't work for you.

Plantar Corns

If your feet are particularly thin, your shoes can rub over other bony places on your feet. A thick callous forms to protect your foot. These callouses can become large and painful, and they can make it difficult to wear shoes. The foot doctor can recommend pads to wear over the corns and medication to dissolve the hard callous. Surgery may be used to remove large corns.

Neuromas

Sometimes constant irritation on the skin caused by poorly fitting shoes can inflame the nerves on your feet. These nerves may become so painful that even pulling a sock over the area can be uncomfortable. An outpatient procedure can be done by your foot doctor to remove the irritated nerve and stop the the pain.

Bone Spurs

Abnormal bone growth may occur on your feet where the tendons attach and pull on the bones. These tiny calcium deposits normally don't cause a problem and your body eventually re-absorbs them. Occasionally, these deposits -- or bone spurs -- may irritate one of the tendons as you walk. This causes the tendon to become inflamed and painful. Your podiatrist can recommend orthotics for your shoe which relieve the pressure of the bone spur on the tendon until the body can re-absorb it. In severe cases, surgery can be done to remove the bone sour.