Caring
for Your Toenails And Foot Care
Foot
care extends to toenails, which should be trimmed straight across the nail and
not rounded at the corners. Your big toe, in particular, is more prone to you
incurring an ingrowing toenail so you should leave an extra bit of nail on the
outside corner to prevent that. Once you've clipped your toenails, smooth the
nail down with a file to remove rough edges. Toenails which are too long can
cause pressure on the bed of the nail which can result in extreme discomfort
and pain if you're hiking.
Caring
for the Skin on Your Feet And Hiking
Some
people believe that having thick, callused skin on your feet prevents blisters
but this isn't true and blisters underneath calluses can be very hard to drain
and treat. A callus file and moisture cream can soften problem areas for good
foot care, and also helps to heal cracks in the skin of your feet, especially
on your heels. If these cracks aren't treated, they can split open and
infection can result in the tissue underneath.
Blister
Prevention And Hiking
The
prevention of blisters can often come down to a personal choice. In addition to
ensuring you have well fitting hiking boots or walking shoes and socks, you'll
find a vast array of blister prevention products and taping techniques and you
should experiment with a few to find one that suits you. Early awareness can
also help and you should stop walking if you feel a blister coming on and treat
it as soon as possible. It may be caused by some grit or dirt that has got in
to your hiking boot and is rubbing against your skin, for example, so you
should always stop and fix things as soon as you think there's a problem,
otherwise walking on with blisters can be extremely painful and can even reach
the stage where you feel as if you can walk no further.
Resting
Your Feet When Walking
When
it's time to stop for lunch when you're walking, or if you've reached your
day's destination and are, perhaps, setting up camp for the night, take your
hiking boots and socks off and give your feet a chance to rest and breathe.
They'll appreciate the fresh air and direct sunlight. In a camp situation,
wearing flip flops or sandals will allow your feet to recuperate better and, if
you're resting, elevating your feet will also help to reduce swelling.
Foot
Care Kits For Hiking
Carrying
a small foot care kit in a Ziploc bag is not going to take up much room and
will give you much relief from the problems associated with walking. Things
like blister patches, a safety pin to drain blisters, a choice of powder or
lubricant etc. can often help relieve foot problems before they get out of
control and makes for excellent foot care that can feel blissful.
Taken
from an article walkingandhiking.com
