Think about how many thousands of miles we put on our feet each year. Now, consider the myriad of issues that can arise as we age. This episode is a deep dive into the world of foot health as we get older, featuring a candid chat with your hosts, Dr. Lauren Dabakaroff and Jeremy Wolf. They debunk common myths, ascertain the pros and cons of barefoot walking, and reveal the value of custom orthotics in redistributing foot pressure. You'll learn about fat pad atrophy and why moisturizing your feet is not as frivolous as it sounds. This episode is a treasure trove of practical advice for anyone interested in maintaining their mobility and foot comfort.
Don't put off caring for your feet until problems arise. In this enlightening conversation, Dr. Lauren and Jeremy discuss the importance of early intervention and adopting a holistic approach to foot care. From the benefits of foot massages to the role of a balanced diet and regular exercise, they delve into solutions that can keep your feet feeling great at any age. Whether you're already experiencing foot issues or simply want to ensure optimal foot health as you age, this episode is a must-listen. Make the most of the insights from our podiatry experts and start prioritizing your foot health today.
To learn more, visit: LMDpodiatry.com or contact (954) 680-7133
Think about how many thousands of miles we put on our feet each year. Now, consider the myriad of issues that can arise as we age. This episode is a deep dive into the world of foot health as we get older, featuring a candid chat with your hosts, Dr. Lauren Dabakaroff and Jeremy Wolf. They debunk common myths, ascertain the pros and cons of barefoot walking, and reveal the value of custom orthotics in redistributing foot pressure. You'll learn about fat pad atrophy and why moisturizing your feet is not as frivolous as it sounds. This episode is a treasure trove of practical advice for anyone interested in maintaining their mobility and foot comfort.
Don't put off caring for your feet until problems arise. In this enlightening conversation, Dr. Lauren and Jeremy discuss the importance of early intervention and adopting a holistic approach to foot care. From the benefits of foot massages to the role of a balanced diet and regular exercise, they delve into solutions that can keep your feet feeling great at any age. Whether you're already experiencing foot issues or simply want to ensure optimal foot health as you age, this episode is a must-listen. Make the most of the insights from our podiatry experts and start prioritizing your foot health today.
To learn more, visit: LMDpodiatry.com or contact (954) 680-7133
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the LMD Pediatry podcast. Trust us to get back on your feet. Here's your host, Dr Lauren Devakarov.
Jeremy:
Hello, episode number five of the LMD Pediatry podcast. Your co-host, jeremy Wolfe. I'm joined by your host, dr Lauren Devakarov. Dr Lauren, fancy meeting you again here so soon.
Dr. Lauren:
Oh yeah.
Jeremy:
So we were just talking a little bit about orthotics and I thought you know I'm on the other side of 40 and I'm getting older. I'm not quite old, quite that old yet, but you know time flies and I'm getting there. Can you share with listeners a little bit about what to expect kind of age related changes in the feet as we get older? What are some things to look out for, you know, and some things to keep on your mind to make sure that you have optimal foot health moving into your later years in life.
Dr. Lauren:
Later years in life. You've even hit 50 yet and you're already.
Jeremy:
like I mean, I'm looking towards the future here.
Dr. Lauren:
Come on the generation is very scared of aging. It's very interesting to see. Actually it's all across the board. I see like 35 year olds getting Botox injections and things like that, but for the foot it's a hot, it's a whole another ballgame. So just to keep you, just to give you an idea, you walk every day. You put thousands and thousands of miles on your feet a year, whether you're active or not. You're going to the grocery store, you're going to the mall, you're taking, walking through security to get on the plane and walking all around Italy. Everybody's living life and so are your feet, okay. So so what happens to the foot as you age? The number one thing that is seen is fat pad atrophy.
Jeremy:
And then had fat pad atrophy. You said yeah, Okay.
Dr. Lauren:
So fat pad atrophy. It basically means that the fat pad on the bottom of your foot that you have like a really big fat pad and then you have a little one on the tips of tip of each toe and what those? What that fat pad does is when you're young it's very nice and plump and then it's held together. The fat is held together by collagen and then as you age the collagen is not as elastic anymore. Like you know, we get wrinkles and things like that. So the same thing kind of happens to your foot. It almost feels like you're walking on your joints on your bone as you get older.
Dr. Lauren:
So the best way to kind of maintain that's going to happen anyway, but the best way to, you know, maintain a nice, healthy, good foot, wearing proper shoes, keeping your feet moisturized that's very important. That's something that people neglect a lot. Like it's Florida, we all wear sandals, our feet get dry and if you want to kind of maintain the integrity of your skin and you want to make sure that everything is nice and supple and soft, the best thing to do is to moisturize every day. Don't use the lotion, use a cream. There's prescription cream, there's over the countercream. Basically, if you nourish the skin. It helps a lot with preventing cracks and fissures and things like that which can cause infection, and then wearing proper shoes helps the integrity of the fat pad as well. I'm very against barefoot walking in general.
Jeremy:
I was going to ask you about that because I've heard many, many things talking about how that's good for your feet to some degree to get out there and not always Barefoot walking is great, like at the beach. Just not only treatment or hot coals.
Dr. Lauren:
Yes, exactly it helps. So, walking barefoot, obviously, if you're not extremely obese, that's another story for another day. But a normal, young, healthy adult, the best thing, the only time you should walk barefoot, is walking around the beach in the sand, because what that does is it helps you use all the muscles inside your foot that don't get used when you wear a shoe.
Dr. Lauren:
Yeah, that makes sense A lot of people love walking barefoot on their very hard tile and wood floor at home. So that's where it's not that it's extremely bad for you, it's just that it dries your feet more. It actually the tile is so hard that it injures your foot. Your foot craves support and you don't get that from a hard tile floor. So that's my two cents. There are other podiatrists that would argue with me. But in general, if you really want to maintain your foot and take care of it so you're ripe and old, you got to exercise where the right shoes. If you get injured, rest it, okay, don't keep playing, don't keep running. They feel like that's where all the problems happen. And then just keeping your feet moisturized and get a foot massage, helping relax those muscles and strengthen them at the same time, really helps maintain your foot.
Jeremy:
Yeah, sign me up for that foot massage for sure. So you mentioned earlier. You said, don't use lotion, use cream, cream. Why?
Dr. Lauren:
wouldn't you want to use lotion? So you know the lotions are actually made with alcohol, so they dry up faster. And the foot, the skin of the bottom of the foot, is extremely thick, so it doesn't really do much, got it. And if you have calc, use a pomis-stone, trim them, get a pedicure, come and see me, you know, put creams on. You got to take care of that because if you let it go they're just going to get worse and they're going to get more painful. And really, if you do have calc, the best way to prevent him from coming on so frequently is a custom orthotic to redistribute the pressure.
Jeremy:
Yeah, and I got to say this because this is a common theme across the board in every industry and in life or every medical profession. What it all comes down to if you want to be more active later on in life, have less pain, have less problems, take care of yourself, right. Don't wait until you're 60 to start. Don't wait until you're like my father, who's you know, 77, 78 years old, and he hasn't done a day of exercise in his life, and every time he moves it hurts, right. Exactly so a regiment of exercise, eat well, all this stuff. We talk about this ad nauseam. It's just so important, but people get caught up in their lives and we live in this. You know, I always say instant gratification, quick fist society, and people put these things off until it's too late. So let's raise awareness. Everybody, take care of yourself. Thanks for your insights, of course, very, very useful, and to our listeners, thanks for tuning in for another episode and we will catch you next time. Everyone, have a wonderful day and take care.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to the LMD podiatry podcast. For more information, visit LMD podiatrycom or call 954-680-7133.
