Avoid infections

By Vicky Wandawa

HENRY Bukenya, a general practitioner with Trinity Medical Centre, advises that to stay clear of foot fungal infections, personal hygiene should be taken seriously and one way is by wearing clean, dry shoes.

He warns that wet shoes create a safe haven for fungi leading to infections such as athletes’ foot. Bukenya also advises people to wear sandals only in areas they trust are safe and clean.

He says many people often concentrate on cleaning the surface of shoes, yet it is vital to clean the inside as well.

Futhermore, cleaning and scrubbing your feet should not be done only when you visit the salon for a pedicure. What happens if you spend two weeks or more without visiting the salon? Will you let your feet keep dwelling in dirt?

Cleaning your feet thorougly can be done in the comfort of your bathroom. Scrub, trim your nails and dry your feet. You do not have to wait until that visit to the salon.

Buying shoes
Peter Buyingo, a sales man at a shoe company, says when buying shoes, individuals should always ensure they buy the right shoe size to avoid the discomfort and diseases that may arise with ill-fitting shoes.

He adds that it is better to shop for shoes during hot weather when the foot has expanded.

Heels and women
Dora, a procurement officer, loves to wear high heels. “I feel smart and professional and achieve great height.”
Unfortunately, from the medical point of view, high heels do not take a front seat.

“Medically, they are discouraged because of the risks they pose,” Bukenya warns.

Vincent Karuhanga, a general practitioner with Friends Polyclinic, warns that human postural disturbance is probably one of the commonest causes of backaches that plague the youth who wear high heels.

“This results in knee, neck, back and ankle pain. These various pains are more significant with the overweight, tall, pregnant, older, and those likely to walk more, especially on uneven or hilly ground. If one already has the pains, they are likely to worsen.”

He explains that high heels throw one’s weight towards the toes and as a result, the big toe nails cut into the flesh on the side.

“Ingrown toe nails develop painful pus-filled areas and cause the toes to look bigger at the end.”

Cones and calluses
The achilles tendon also becomes shortened sometimes leading to tiptoeing while walking even when one is not wearing high heels.

Furthermore, high heels lead to the tightness of the calf muscles, leading to roundness of the calf. “This restricts blood flow through the deeper muscles leading to blood clots and swelling of the feet.”

Bukenya says shoe heels should not be more than 5cm high, and those who choose to wear high heels should avoid walking long distances.

Karuhanga warns: “Wearing high heels can be trendy and smart and may carry no health issues if done once in a while or for medical reasons for example if one leg is shorter than the other.

However, wearing them daily smart may cause a downward slope in one’s health.”