Put your best foot forward, says orthopaedic surgeon

PGWA health lecture series

The Public Garden Walkers' Association (PGWA) commemorated 20 years of health talks at Public Gardens on Sunday. This week the monthly lecture was given by Dr Naveen C Reddy, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals who spoke on, ‘Put Your Best Foot Forward’ topic.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Naveen C Reddy said, “It is becoming more and more scientifically evident that walking, as a simple form of exercise gives great benefits for physical and mental health. It helps prevent conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, weight related problems and some forms of cancers as well.”

Explaining the common foot problems he said, “A blister is due to repetitive rubbing on the skin by a hard surface, be it is your shoe or a hard floor. A badly wrinkled sock inside the shoe also can produce a blister though they are more common with new shoes. Other common condition especially in our hot weather is ‘Athletes foot, which is fungal skin infection between the toes.

“Excess sweating and bad hygiene and wearing damp shoes are the common reasons. One should not forget painful nails, commonly those of first and second toes. Even though they may be due to an ill fitting shoe, one should not forget that a badly trimmed nail can produce a small nail bed sore, which can grow due to the pressure from the toe box ultimately leading to infection,” added the doctor.

Giving a note on foot problems for walkers, the doctor said, “Other serious problem is stress fractures of small bones of the feet. This occurs due to excess walking, especially if one starts going for a walk without any preparation. Though walking helps weight reduction, it is only in combination with strict diet regimen. A heavy patient is more likely to get foot pain, tendinitis and stress fractures.”

Celebrating the 20 years, a book “Hyderabad Down Memory Lane” by Ghulam Yazdami was launched on the occasion. Morning walkers, general public Dr Sudhir Naik, Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals and members of PGWA including Ghulam Yazdani, Chairman; Pramod Kumar Kedia, Vice President; Purshottam Das, Gen. Secretary; Vishwanath Agarwal, Jt Secretary; Sohanlal Kadel, Jt Secretary; BL Pershad Jaiswal, Treasurer; Prof. Mohd. Masood Ahmed, Health Care Advisor and Patrons B Sreekanth Reddy and G Ekember Reddy were present on the occasion.

Prevention tips for foot problems

Use correct walking boots, which have soft and flexible sole compared to running shoe, which has a stiffer sole. Specially made walking socks are usually reinforced where it is needed, especially the soles. They are usually double layered to reduce rubbing between your foot and boot. Some models of shoes may have a better contoured insole, but that may or may not suit your feet. Or they may fit one of your feet but not the other.

In such cases, especially people who have flat feet or particularly high arched feet may need custom made insole to go in to their shoes. These well fitting insoles absorb shocks better while walking and reduce stress on your foot joints and help maintain the foot in proper position.

One should not forget that walking is an exercise; we should allow the foot to warm up before walking. Stretch your foot joints and start walking with a slow pace. Similarly, at the end of a walk massage the feet with your hands and stretch the foot, heel and calf muscles.