Health and Fitness

Foot & Ankle Care During Pregnancy

While pregnancy is one of the happiest moments in a woman's life, it also brings with it a set of daily challenges and health complications. Pain in foot and leg in pregnancy is one of them, foot care is an important aspect of pregnancy care - but unfortunately in India not much attention is paid to this aspect of health.

As she puts on weight through the process of pregnancy, there is additional stress and pressure on her lower body. There are other changes too - shift in centre of gravity, increase in hormonal flows - many of which result in foot pain and swelling.

1. Flat Feet or Over-pronation

Excess weight may cause the flattening of the arch of the feet, resulting in calf and back pain. The inflammation of the fibrous tissue of the plantar fascia may cause tremendous heel pain while Metatarsalgia could cause pain on the ball of the feet. Proper supportive insoles or foot wear may solve many of these problems. Custom Insoles or foot orthotics are specially designed devices, recommended by foot experts or podiatrists, that provide additional foot and ankle support during pregnancy.

2. Swelling of the Feet

Swelling of the feet or oedema may affect many women in the last trimester of their pregnancy. According to some estimates, pregnant women can put up to 10kg extra weight simply due to blood or fluid build-up. The fluid tends to gravitate to the feet, especially if they aren't in much use - for example when a person is sitting for long periods. So light exercising, walking, stretching of the feet - all of these may avoid feet swelling.

3. Foot Pain and Cramps during Pregnancy

Hormonal changes may also cause foot pain and cramps. Light movement, gentle massage are some common tricks to manage such pain or cramps. A technique that works well is to grasp the affected foot and massage the foot arch with light pressure of the thumbs. Pushing the toes out is also a good technique for reducing pain and cramps.

Improve Foot Care during Pregnancy

• Rather than shoes with pointed toes, wear rounded or square-toed shoes. This is to accommodate foot swelling.

• Do not wear high heels - opt for flat heels

• Wear custom insoles that provide additional shock absorption
• Get regular foot massages

• Moisturise the feet daily to keep it well hydrated and avoid cracks
• Wear surgical stockings, if needed, to improve blood flow
• Do some gentle exercise of the legs to keep them active and avoid fluid build up

CuraFoot offers advanced foot diagnosis that includes gait analysis, pressure pad impression, 3D Scan and custom orthotic insoles to correct foot problems. Foot pain during pregnancy is very common and to defeat that CuraFoot provides comprehensive solution.

How To Preserve and Store Your Shoes

You can make your shoes last months after you buy them by taking steps to help preserve them. It does take some time but it is worth it. There are shoes with different materials that will need different ways in which to take care of them but they will look like as if you bought them the day prior and will help you keep them longer. There are a couple household materials that you can use and some products that you have to buy. I have seen YouTube videos of people making potions, as I like to call them, when they mix many ingredients to make the same solution that an item may already have at the store. I do not like to so this because it is very time consuming and It may not work as well as the products offered at the shelve at a store. White shoes I think are the toughest to keep clean, for obvious reasons, and there are times that the weather may be bad and you should not wear them but there are also products to help keep them crispy clean. There are also products that help keep your shoes from creasing where your foot naturally bends in the front.

Let us begin with how you can help preserve before you even wear the shoe. You can purchase shoe tress to help the shoe keep its shape and so that they do not lose their shape over time when you are not wearing them. You can easily find these online for cheap or go to a shoe store. I have found them at IKEA as well. I also like to keep the shoe box but some people get rid of them and put them in clear plastic containers. This helps keep them clean and dust free when they are stored and you can easily see where the pair of shoes are, rather than in a box, if you do not remember the name of the shoe. When purchasing a shoe, especially one with leather material, at the register or around the store they usually have ForceFields. ForceFields prevent creases where your foot bends in the front. These help tremendously because leather shoes over time tend to crease much easier than other materials. These do take a bit of room in the shoe so I would suggest maybe going a half size bigger so that you are not uncomfortable walking with extra padding on your shoe. I know this from experience because I made the mistake of buying my regular shoe size and putting the ForceFields in and it was uncomfortable to even walk a couple steps. I had to loosen up the laces and that still was not enough to be comfortable.

Moreover, you should also consider buying a soft and a hard brush, for different materials. Materials like the PrimeKnit on the Adidas NMD need a soft brush because the texture is extremely delicate and you can ruin it if you use a hard brush. Another problem you may encounter, if you have a sweaty foot, is the shoe might start to smell a little funny. Therefore, it is important to buy shoes that help your foot breathe but there are ways to help keep the smell from penetrating your shoes. You can start by taking the soles out and putting a fragrance on them. You can also find a product like this at the shoe store. This is important because you do not want to walk around and your shoes are smelling like a locker room. In addition, a way to protect your shoes if you know you will be walking on dirt or in the rain is to buy the Crep shoe cleaner. This will help any type of material by repelling any liquid and will help prevent stains on your shoes because it is an invisible coat. Once again, they usually have these in the store when you are purchasing your shoes. They work great with soft delicate material because they need the most care since anything will get them dirty. Another product that can help keep your shoes clean is the Jason Markk shoe cleaner. It is a liquid solution that you put into a bowl with water and you stir it until it mixes. You then dip the brush into the solution and once you start brushing the shoe it creates a white foam that helps clean the shoe. This was the first cleaner that I bought for my shoes and I have repeatedly been buying it because it has helped save many pairs of sneakers of mine. In addition to storing, you should keep the shoes away from sunlight and if you do not want to leave them in their boxes or in plastic containers, make sure that they have enough room so that they can breathe. Not having enough room between shoes will cause them to lose their shape as I mentioned, and you will have to spend more money in the future to help restore them so why not start from the beginning. In addition, after wearing your shoes you should clean them do not wait until they get extremely dirty to clean. A light clean before you put them away can also go a long way to increase their lifetime. If you wait until they are completely dirty, there may be stains that have already set in deep into the material that will be hard to remove or irremovable.

All the products I have mentioned do not cost more than $10 and will help you keep your shoes for much longer. On the other hand, you can also make these solutions at home but be cautions because they may not work as well. If you go this route, look at YouTube videos before of how other people have used them, how they did it, and how their shoes came out. All these steps will help you extend the life of your shoes and will have them looking in tip top shape.