Senior Foot Care
Proper foot care is an important part of overall health and wellness at any age, from your pre-walking days to your eighth decade and beyond. However, the aging process can pose new challenges and risks for your feet and ankles and can make it harder to keep up with care. Often, foot problems can be early warning signs for more significant issues with vascular and nervous system health or conditions such as diabetes or hypothyroidism.
At Comprehensive Foot Centers, we love spending time with our seniors and helping them keep their feet in top shape! Our goal is to keep you as healthy, comfortable, stable, mobile, active, and independent as possible, regardless of age.
Routine Foot Maintenance
Older patients often suffer from dry skin and thick, unsightly toenails, and are more likely to develop injuries and infections. Decreased eyesight or mobility may make it harder to care for these problems yourself, and caregivers aren’t always able to help either. As a result, you may experience pain, embarrassment, and other problems. We are happy to provide routine foot care maintenance for senior patients, including:
- Trimming thick toenails
- Reducing corns and calluses
- Foot hygiene services
Diabetic Foot Care
According to the latest statistics, more than 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 65 suffer from diabetes. This progressive disease can reduce nerve and circulatory function in feet and increase your risk of developing wounds, injuries, and infections—including those that could force an amputation. Diabetic care services include:
- Comprehensive diabetic foot exams (recommended a minimum of once per year)
- Comprehensive in-office management of foot ulcers using advanced wound care products
- Fitting and ordering diabetic shoes
- Diagnostic nerve testing for peripheral neuropathy
Balance & Stability
As we get older, the loss of muscle tone and coordination and the development of gait abnormalities—alongside other problems—can lead to balance issues and increasing fall risk. Falls can be devastating for seniors and can lead to a permanent decrease in health, mobility, and independence. We can help with:
- Fall risk assessments
- Gait assessments and treatment for gait abnormalities
- Braces, ankle-foot orthoses, and other stability tools
- Physical therapy exercises to improve strength and balance
Foot Deformity & Pain Relief
Did you know that an average 80-year-old will have walked enough to circle the earth four times? That’s a lot of mileage and a lot of potential for wear and tear. As a result, seniors often struggle with heel pain, foot and ankle arthritis, and even bony deformities like bunions and hammertoes. Other physical changes occur, like flattening arches, weakening ligaments, and loss of the fat pads on the heels and balls of the feet. We offer extensive conservative and surgical treatment options for nearly any problem you may be experiencing.
If pain, instability, injury, or any other foot or ankle concerns are negatively affecting your lifestyle—or the lifestyle of a senior you care for—please give us a call today at (816) 455-1155.