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Infected Ingrown Toenails: How to Avoid Them

Ingrown toenails have a tendency to curl into the skin on the side of the toenails and cause excruciating pain.  In some cases, an infection can occur, leaving the skin to become red and swollen.  Blood and pus may also be present around the infected areas.

Here are some tips to avoid infections:-

1) Try soaking your feet with Epsom salts and warm water.  This will reduce pain and swelling around the toenails.

2) Make sure to cut your toenails straight across instead of curving them into the corners, which will increase your risk of ingrown toenails.

3) Keep your feet dry at all times.

4) Apply an antibiotic ointment and bandage around the area to reduce your risk of infection around the toe.

5) Wear shoes which allow more room around the toes to avoid adding pressure to the ingrown toenails.

Most importantly, seek the advice of a Chiropodist for more comprehensive advice regarding your ingrown toenails.  Please feel free to contact, Jennifer Lam, the Chiropodist at the Form and Function Clinic for a consultation.

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Daily Balance Challenge!

Try to balance a few minutes each day!
Try to balance a few minutes each day!

Challenge yourself to balance regularly.  Not only will this prevent falls, it will increase the proprioceptive awareness of your body.  Meaning you will take better control of your body and improve your awareness within space.

It’s simple! I challenge you to take a few minutes out of your day and balance.  Try this while you wait in line at the grocery counter, wait for the microwave, or just when watching tv!  You can start off easy with simply putting your feet together, stretching your arms out and closing your eyes. Try to hold for at least 30 seconds at a time.  Once you get to 30 seconds you can try to make the movement harder.  Once you’ve mastered 2 leg balance you can try to balance like the image above:

1. Shift weight to one foot.  Keep your arms spread out to start

2. Press your opposite foot above your knee into your thigh

3. Keep a slight bend in the knee. Balance!

4. To make it harder; Hold, twist, take arms overhead, work up onto your toes, etc

 

The more you challenge yourself the more you will improve.  Remember balance is a learned skill so just keep at it and you’ll be amazed as to how much you improve trying everyday for a week.  Go outside, enjoy the sun for a few minutes, soak in the vitamin D and work on that balance!  If you want more progressions or examples feel free to email me at jleung@formfunction.com or come on into the clinic.

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Ways to Prevent Swollen Feet During Air Travel

When we are heading to our summer destination by plane, our feet are usually enclosed in a tight space with very minimal leg room to move around.  As a result, we end up with swollen feet.

It is vital that we move our legs as much as possible to allow adequate blood flow to and from the legs.  Low cabin pressure and dehydration due to the dry air circulating on the plane can impair our blood circulation to our feet.  Thus, this can contribute to life-threatening blood clots that can have serious impact on our overall health.

Here are a few tips:

1) Reduce your salt intake.  Salt will increase fluid retention to your feet.

2) Drink plenty of water.  This will decrease your risk of dehydration.

3) Walk along the aisles.  Take bathroom breaks to keep your legs moving.

4) Avoid crossing your legs.  This will reduce circulation to your feet.

5) Consider wearing compression stockings.  These stockings will assist with improving the circulation to your feet.

If you are interested in having an individualized consultation about your feet, please feel free to book an appointment with Jennifer Lam, the Chiropodist at the Form and Function Clinic.

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Why Do We Have Cracked Heels?

Sometimes the skin on our heels are too dry  to the point where they split open and become painful.  If these cracks are left untreated, they can bleed and/or become infected.  The main cause of heel cracks and fissures is due to dehydration.   Other causes include:

1) cold, dry winters

2) hot and long showers and/or baths

3) using harsh soaps on your feet

4) if you have a particular condition such as diabetes

To prevent painful cracked heels, make sure to moisturize your feet, avoid taking hot showers and drink plenty of water to hydrate your skin.  If you continue to have issues with cracked and fissured heels, please make an appointment to see, Jennifer, the Chiropodist at the Form and Function Clinic.

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TempoMandibular What? TMJ Disorders, neck pain and headaches

Try this.  Open your mouth as wide as you can.. now position your hand like you are trying to dump a bottle of water on your chest and try to fit the first 3 of your knuckles (index, 3rd and 4th finger) into your mouth. Can you do this? If not, consider the following:

Does your jaw click or pop from time to time?

Do you have any occasional bouts of jaw pain while chewing?

Persistent neck pain, headaches, and pain while chewing harder foods are all hallmarks of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.  Headaches, neck pain and jaw pain are intimately tied together and restriction or tightness in one area can cause pain to occur in another.  If this sounds like you, you may have an underlying TMJ dysfunction. TMJ issues are conditions that are affected by the group of muscles and the joint that controls motion at the jaw.

If you think you may have a TMJ issue come in for a complimentary consult or try your best to avoid: gum chewing, biting your fingernails, chewing pens, hard candy or gummies. It’ll only make it worse!

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Beware of slacking off during Holidays!

With the holidays coming, I want to urge you to continue exercising and not slack off.

Exercise is crucial for everyone’s health and wellbeing. It is commonly stated by many health professionals that if the benefits of exercise could be reduced to pill form, it will be the most prescribed pill due to the vast amount of positive effects exercises has on our health. Some of these positive effects include reducing stress, increasing muscle strength, improving cardiovascular function, lowering risk of chronic diseases, among others.

So come the holidays, continue to exercise to keep those benefits. Note that it only takes two weeks for muscle to start losing strength/endurance and cardiovascular fitness to decrease so don’t let the holidays derail your health. Take some time for yourself and make exercise a priority this holiday! If you have any questions about exercise, you can talk to any health care professional at Form and Function Clinic. We will be happy to answer any of your questions.

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You’re not as old as you think.

markham chiropractor

You don’t stop playing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop playing, so continue to move and have fun. If you are active and pushing through limitations or pain, you will likely run into trouble.  Gone are the days of ‘no pain, no gain’. Take the time to listen to your body, stretch the muscles that are tight, and strengthen those that cry because they are weak. Take a look at our foam rolling video here for a great place to start.

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Stretch for Stress

Combat tension from stress, anxiety or too much sitting.  You can simply stand up, reach for the sky, or extend your arms out as far as you can and hold that position for 15-30s to help yourself loosen up and let go of some stress.  Take some deep breathes through your belly and simply enjoy and feel your stress fade away.  Try to do this once EVERY 30 minutes.  When you are stressed, the body’s fight or flight response is triggered causing the body to tense up in preparation.  This tension can lead to chronic pain and this is where stretching interrupts our body’s defensive response. So stretch away from stress 30s at a time and remember that change happens over time. Book in an assessment today if you’d like a regime catered to you!

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

Stretch for Stress

Combat tension from stress, anxiety or too much sitting.  You can simply stand up, reach for the sky, or extend your arms out as far as you can and hold that position for 15-30s to help yourself loosen up and let go of some stress.  Take some deep breathes through your belly and simply enjoy and feel your stress fade away.  Try to do this once EVERY 30 minutes.  When you are stressed, the body’s fight or flight response is triggered causing the body to tense up in preparation.  This tension can lead to chronic pain and this is where stretching interrupts our body’s defensive response. So stretch away from stress 30s at a time and remember that change happens over time. Book in an assessment today if you’d like a regime catered to you!

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To ice or not to ice

Inflammation gets a bad reputation.  Everyone wants to get rid of inflammation.  We have long been told to RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate) any acute injury to get the inflammation settled down.  What if this was wrong?

 

Recently Dr Gabe Mirkin, the physician that coined the term RICE, has spearheaded a movement away from icing acute injuries (see link below).  The heart of his message is “Let inflammation runs it course”.  Inflammation is needed for the body to call for healing chemicals/cells in the acute stages of injury.  Why slow that down by icing and reducing blood flow?

 

It is against a lot of traditional thinking but next time you injury a body part and it swells up, try using avoiding the ice immediately.  Rest, compress, elevate and get treatment to maintain muscle and joint function.  The health care professionals at Form and Function can guide you through the acute stages of injury and get you back to normal quicker!

 

For the link: http://drmirkin.com/fitness/why-ice-delays-recovery.html