Here at The Footcare Centre, Clonmel, we have a wealth of expert information to help you take care or your feet.

Don’t bring back an unwanted poolside virus, the dreaded Verruca.
A verruca is a wart found on the soles of your foot and around the toes and is caused by a virus.
Verruca can be contagious and transmitted through direct person-to-person contact. They tend to be more common in children, teenagers and young adults but they can reappear at any age.

Most verruca disappear by themselves especially in young people. But if your verruca is painful,
unsightly and bothering you, you may wish to treat them. The most commonly used treatments for verruca include paring to remove the surrounding hard skin, which causes the pain, and then the use of cryotherapy (freezing) or occlusal tape (zinc oxide or kinesiology) to provoke an immune response to attack the virus.

How to avoid catching a verruca?
Always wear footwear, flip flops or crocs, or swimming socks in communal areas like around the
pool, in gyms, communal showers, changing rooms etc. If you do get a verruca, avoid touching or scratching it and never pick at them. Keep your feet clean and dry and see your foot health
practitioner for further information on treatments.

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​​Do you know someone who suffers from Diabetes?  Do they have regular foot care check-ups in accordance with best practice for people with Diabetes?
 
Diabetes is a serious illness and if left uncontrolled, may cause nerve damage reducing the sensations in your feet.  It may also reduce blood flow to the feet which inhibits the healing of wounds and can allow infection to be introduced.
 
Good foot care guidelines would include

• Inspecting your feet daily where you can see changes before they become problems such as blisters, swelling or nail issues.
• Be gentle when bathing your feet; never use hot water and always dry between your toes.  If you cannot use a towel, use paper towel, it may be easier.
• Have your feet cared for, nail cutting, corn removal etc, with a fully qualified Foot Health Practitioner as wounds or cuts to your feet could lead to ulceration if left untreated.
• Wear socks and shoes made specifically for people living with Diabetes.  Gentle Grip socks that won’t create a “tourniquet” effect at your ankles and doesn’t have seams to irritate your toes.  Wider fit shoes will give your feet room in case of swelling, hammer toes and bunions – removing pressure points and making movement easier.
  

 
Having to alter the way you walk due to bad feet can also affect your other joints such as knees and hips and create pain in your lower back.  See Andrea Keenan at The Foot Care Centre for diabetic foot checks and any foot issues you may have.

​Are you enjoying the sunshine and getting out in the fresh air – keeping in mind social isolating.  Vitamin D, called the Sunshine Vitamin, is a unique vitamin that people just don’t get enough of, especially in Ireland. 
 
Spring/Summer are the best times to enjoy being outdoor and connecting with the healing power of nature.  Vitamin D can also be taken as a supplement and occurs naturally in a few foods, including some fish, egg yolks and in fortified dairy and grain products. 
 
Vitamin D is an essential for strong bones, helping to prevent Osteoprosis, including in the foot and ankle; also helps your gut health by assisting the absorption of calcium and phosphorus – two minerals that are essential for maintaining strong and healthy bones; promoting skin cell growth, repair and can prevent premature aging; improves your mood, we smile more when the sun is shining.
 
Deficiency in Vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity and susceptibility to infection – it helps keep our immune systems balanced during the cold and flu season, very important at this time and helps your body absorb calcium and promote bone growth.

Some tips that will help you safely enjoy the sunlight:

• Only spend a short amount of time (approximately 30 minutes) in the midday sun to increase your body’s absorption of Vitamin D.
• Always use a sunscreen with a high PF factor to protect your skin.
• Use sunglasses to protect your eyesight.
• See your GP immediately if you see a new lesion or growth or changes in your skin; colour, size or shape or a sore that doesn’t heal.
• When having your annual blood check up have your GP check your Vitamin D levels.

 
As with everything, getting a healthy sun intake is a balancing act.

​It is very important for Seniors to take proper care of their feet for lots of reasons as foot problems tend to occur as we age. 
 
Feet lose cushioning/footpad over time and the nails grow thick and brittle.  Many Seniors experience reduced blood flow and this can delay healing of foot sores.  Bony deformities such as bunions and hammer toes, toenail disorders and arthritis are very common foot problems in older people.
 
Here are some Senior foot care tips for improved health and why foot care is important.

• If your feet are sore there is normally a reason for that so please don’t ignore any pain.  It could be due to corns or hard skin or maybe footwear that doesn’t fit correctly or may be old and need replenishing. 
• Proper fitting footwear is absolutely vital for everyone – too big and your foot moves around and too small and it creates pressure points which could lead to corns or callus or in severe cases, ulceration.
• Keep feet clean – this way you can more easily notice any changes to your skin or nails and visit your Foot Health Practitioner if concerned.
• Once you have cleaned them, you should moisturise your feet, but never between your toes as that can encourage fungal or bacterial infections.  Again, moisturising your feet will help reduce callus, help you to notice any changes in skin temperature or condition and rehydrate your skin.
• Movement like walking or golf or some other physical activity promotes circulation and good foot health.

 
At The Foot Care Centre we can help you to alleviate any problem you may have and also sell specialised gentle grip socks for people suffering from Diabetes and Oedema and wider fitting shoes and boots to accommodate any issues such hammer toes and bunions.

​​Recently I have been lucky enough to avail of some excellent online study during these extraordinary times.  I have completed all sorts of topics from Dementia Care to Verruca to taking advantage of the training from the Local Enterprise Office for the Training Online Voucher, expertly bought to us by Noel Davidson of The Entrepreneurs Academy.
 
During his online training, Noel told us about Ivy Bean who at the grand young age of 102, became an internet sensation.  Ivy Bean was on twitter @ivybean104 and each year she changed her tag to include her age.  Ivy Bean died at the ripe old age of 104, Rest in Peace Ivy.  Note to Noel, you now need to update your post!
 
Social media is a fabulous tool for a small business like The Foot Care Centre.  You can stretch your reach to a customer anywhere in the world, you just need the tools – an excellent website; good content and an e-commerce section to enable your customers to make sales, book appointments and contact you by email.
 
And excellent training is key – if you are unable to access or utilise all the benefits of social and digital media – you are missing out and so are your customers.