My Feet Are Killing Me

For the most part I’ve never had issues with my feet, I’m thankful they’ve taken me to all the places I’ve been so far. In my lifetime I’ve heard a lot of foot complaints: cold, tired, achy, even met a few people with two left-feet!

I get email from Web MD every day, but today the one about feet caught my attention so I thought I’d pass along a few common ailments and what they may indicate, as with all bodily functions, some may be a sign of more serious physical conditions – if anything persists or is unbearable quit reading articles and go to a real Doctor.

Cold Feet – poor blood flow, and can be caused by smoking, high BP or heart disease. Uncontrolled diabetes can wreck your feet, hypothyroidism or anemia. My late wife (God Bless her soul) loved warming her icy feet on the small of my back late at night, when I was sound asleep already.

Foot Pain – lots of causes! Ladies are you wearing skyscraper heels? Eighty percent of women say their shoes hurt their feet. There may also be stress fractures, a small crack in your toe-bone or connective tissue issues. Buy shoes that fit willya?

Heel Pain – another common complaint usually caused by plantar facilities, inflammation where the long ligaments under the feet connect to the heel bone. Too much exercise (never problem with me) badly fitting shoes or even a bone spur.

Dragging your Feet – this actually happened to me. This can be caused by nerve damage from diabetes or something physical in your lower back (my cause). One day I tripped and fell down, I noticed my left foot wasn’t working properly (foot drop) and I was tripping over my own left foot more and more often. Long story short: Spinal surgery/fusion.

Swollen Feet – Often temporary, standing or even sitting too long especially if you’re pregnant. If it persists it could be poor circulation, a lymphatic or kidney disorder.

Burning Feet – Get you some Desenex and get rid of the foot fungus! Or, you may have peripheral nerve damage (diabetes), a chronic kidney issue, vitamin B deficiency or as mentioned, athletes foot.

There are a wide variety of other foot ailments inclusive of gout, osteoarthritis, Morton’s Neuroma, dermatitis, tight shoes, loose shoes, dehydration, low magnesium, calcium, iron or vitamin D levels, melanoma, fungus or infection can all be the cause of foot pain and discomfort. We only have ten toes but a hundred things that can go wrong way down there.

We all know the longest journey begins with a single step, but remember to take care of your feet or you ain’t goin’ nowhere fast.

And there’s one urban legend about feet that needs answering: Is it true the fastest way to a woman’s heart is through a foot massage?