Citation
(2012), "Foot health", Health Education, Vol. 112 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/he.2012.142112faa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Foot health
Foot health
Article Type: Internet review From: Health Education, Volume 112, Issue 6.
We probably take our feet too much for granted. We use them and abuse them and until they start to give us problems, and unless you are a foot fetishist you probably largely ignore them. The average person walks around 115,000 miles in a lifetime; that is equivalent of walking four times around the earth. Is it any wonder that we sometimes have problems with our feet?
Feet are very complex with 26 bones in each foot and a whole host of muscles and tendons holding the lot together, so it should not be surprising that things occasionally go wrong. The most common foot problems are corns and calluses and they usually indicate that you have problems with your footwear, but the cause could also be due to misalignment of your feet. Even relatively trivial problems like warts may be symptomatic of more deep-rooted health problems, for example stress. But it is not only the usual corns, calluses and blisters that give us grief, foot health problems can also lead to headaches, indigestion, backache and misaligned spine so it is important that we take good care of our feet.
The best thing you can do to maintain foot health is surprisingly simple … just walk. Not only is walking good for your foot health, it is also good for your general health. Walking will improve circulation, contribute to weight control and promote all-around well-being.
The extent to which the internet can contribute to the maintenance of foot health is the subject of this review.
Foot.com
This is a commercial web site based in North America and initial impressions are very favourable. As a simple provider of information this web site has an excellent range of topics starting with Achilles tendonitis through Morton's neuroma and finishing with the diabetic foot and toenail fungus. In all more than two dozen conditions are dealt with. Each information page follows a similar format starting with a definition of the particular condition and then offering advice on likely causes, treatments and prevention. This information is almost wholly text based and although an image is provided at the start of each page, these are illustrative rather than informative. The text is well written using a style that most lay people will be able to follow.
The web site has a number of other features that are of interest. The foot pain identifier is an interactive image that allows users to click on pictures of a foot to indicate where they are experiencing pain. They will then be told the likely cause of that pain.
The web site also has a number of videos explaining how to choose shoes for different foot types, for example low and high arch feet. The videos also deal with the use of orthotics in shoes and how to choose shoes that will be comfortable. It would have been helpful if the videos had also been used to illustrate some of the more common foot problems.
As a commercial web site the feature that dominates is a service that is called “iStep”. Essentially this is a foot scanning service that is available through retail outlets mainly in North America but there are a few in Europe including the UK. Once you have had your feet scanned you can look at the results online and use it to identify possible foot problems and help with the choice of appropriate footwear. Unfortunately the web site does not give any indication of what this service might cost.
Diabetes is associated with foot problems and in extreme cases this can even lead to amputations. This is acknowledged in the web site and a section is devoted to this topic. There is not a great deal of information on diabetes but there are links to more detailed web sites if required. For users who want regular updates the web site provides a Footprints newsletter that gives access to a discussion board, advice on choosing running shoes as well as an “Ask The Doctor” section for those who do not mind sharing their foot problems with the rest of the world!
This is a good web site, attractive and well designed with a good deal of useful information for people with foot problems.
Patient.co.uk
Patient.co.uk describes itself as a provider of “Trusted medical information and support” but it appears to be largely sponsored by injury claims lawyers which would seem to undermine its impartiality to some degree. Does someone who is suffering from a foot problem need to know they could claim up to £25,000 for an Achilles tendon injury? Perhaps they do, but I do not think this type of advertising is best suited to web sites that are providing health information.
Having said that, the information that is provided is of high quality, comprehensive and detailed. As with the previous web site, the content is organised in the form of a list of foot-related problems, though in this web site the list is much longer. Clicking on a problem takes the user to a more detailed set of links dealing with the particular problem. Some of the links are provided by Patient.co.uk, others are to other organisations. The information provided by Patient.co.uk is excellent, describing the problem, giving treatment options, discussing the best type of treatment and even offering suggestions on how to avoid contracting the problem in the first place. Obviously this web site cannot control the quality of information provided by others but the links to other organisations appear sound, for example the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society is cited for a number of different problems.
There are very few other features in this simple web site. Users can access the blog of a popular television doctor but this deals with a variety of health issues not just foot problems. There is also a discussion forum but again that deals with health issue in general and therefore may or may not be of interest. For health education professionals there is an excellent reference section with hundreds of papers that can be freely accessed. This alone would make a visit to this web site worthwhile.
American Podiatric Medical Association
www.apma.org/learn/FootHealthList.cfm?navItemNumber=498
This is the web site of the professional body for American Podiatrists and although aimed at professionals it does contain a great deal to interest lay users as well. Under the heading of “Learn About Feet” users can access an alphabetical list of categories of foot-related problems. The first deals with arthritis and presents the information in a familiar style including causes, symptoms and treatments. However, there is also a section on self-help which is useful and there is guidance on when to seek professional help. The remaining sections deal with diabetes, muscular problems, finishing with toenail problems. A Foot Health Awareness section contains a quiz aimed at young people, choosing sports shoes and even the “Do's and Don’ts of a Fabulous Pedicure”. Most of the information in this section is in the form of leaflets that can be freely downloaded and therefore would be of interest to health education professionals.
Finally, for podiatrists who are members of the APMA there is a facility to rate all of the information that is provided by this web site. This is an excellent way of getting feedback from users and will hopefully lead to improvements in the design and usability of the web site. This is a feature that other web sites could usefully adopt.
Care2.com – 18 things your feet say about your health
www.care2.com/greenliving/18-things-your-feet-say-about-your-health.html
Care2.com is an interesting concept in that this web site champions a wide range of “just causes”. Women's rights, green issues, animal welfare, real food and many more, including of course health, can all be found on this web site. For the purposes of this review we are focusing on a small part of the web site that deals with foot health.
The content begins by making a point about the relationship between foot health and general health. It appears that by examining your feet everything from diabetes to nutritional deficiencies can be revealed. It then goes on to list the 18 things that the state of your feet could indicate. Starting with simple toenail discoloration that might show anaemia, more complex problems, for example foot cramps are then described and discussed. The foot cramps might be caused by dehydration but they could also indicate mineral deficiencies. Sores that will not heal could be symptomatic of diabetes and even hairless feet could be a problem (vascular disease).
This web site is a hypochondriac's worst nightmare. The signs and symptoms revealed by our feet are endless and worrying. Or rather they would be worrying if not for the liberal sprinkling of “might” or “could” throughout the text. This particular sign “could” be an indication of something, but then again perhaps it is not. It would probably be wise to treat much of this with a degree of skepticism and if worried, follow the advice given here and seek professional help.
It is an interesting idea to relate foot health to general health and it is well presented in this web site but users should probably not take what is written here too seriously.