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foot health test from melbourne podiatrist and physiotherapists

Foot Health Quiz

How healthy are your feet?

Your ankles and feet are your foundation. Essential for moving and leading an active life.

You want to chase the dog around the park? Feet help with that.

Dig up the backyard? Yeah, that’s probably going to involve your feet.

Running a PB in the Melbourne Marathon? Strong, healthy feet are needed.

So here’s our foot health quiz we’ve put together to work out just how well your foundation is travelling. It’s based on research published in 2005 as well as what we’ve learned as podiatrists, physios and exercise physiologists working with all sorts of interesting feet.

Why Foot Health

Are your feet healthy and happy or do they grumble and growl?

There are many different conditions that effect your feet. Some are acute injuries like ankle sprains or traumatic fractures. Others are more of the subtle overuse kind. Think conditions like plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, bunions, corns and calluses.

The good news is that many of these are preventable and all are treatable.

Podiatrists and physiotherapists alike can play a role in helping you overcome foot and ankle injuries and lead a healthy, happy life on your feet.

Keeping Feet Healthy

How did you on the quiz? Did you get full marks with healthy, happy feet and want to keep them that way? Or maybe there were some things you can do to help your feet out.

Our team of podiatrists and physiotherapists have put together their top 3 tips to getting and keeping great foot health.

Happy Feet = Strong Feet

Lifting weights, known as resistance training is vital for healthy and happy feet. In this exercise, a gentle version of calf raises, our podiatrist Tim demonstrates excellent technique to build strong feet.

Making sure your calf muscles feel tired is paramount when building strong feet. If two-feet-at-a-time calf raises are easy, slow them down and work on each leg individually.

Another important exercises for strong and healthy feet include 30 minutes of walking, running or jogging every day.

Supple Feet

Your feet are just like goldilocks in that they want things to be just right. It’s paramount that we keep the skin on our feet not too moist, and not too dry.

We can do this by actually washing and drying in between our toes every day. Using things like a soap free wash (rather than harsh soaps) and appropriate acid based moisturisers really makes a difference.

Keeping your feet soft and supple is a great way to minimise problems from things like tinea pedis or painful heel cracks and fissures.

If The Shoe Fits

Where do your feet spend most of their time? Is it in a comfortable, supportive, breathable shoe? Do they get some variety so their not always in the same shoes for walking, spending time around the house, working or working out?

Make sure you have the right shoes for your feet, for the right activities.

About The Author

Naveena Seethapathy is an experienced physiotherapist working in Pascoe Vale. Naveena has a passion for helping people live a healthy and active life and is the resident quiz master at PridePlus Health. As a physio with the elite title of APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist you can be assured that you’ll receive quality physio care from Naveena.

References

Adapted from the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Martin, RobRoy L., et al. “Evidence of validity for the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM).” Foot & Ankle International 26.11 (2005): 968-983.

Tim Mulholland & Dominic Tan. Should I see a podiatrist or physio for foot pain? PridePlus Health 2020

Help With Your Foot Health

If you’re looking for help with your foot health you can book a session with our team at one of our clinics across Melbourne.