Galway Advertiser 1991/1991_08_08/GA_08081991_E1_014.pdf 

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A recent survey of London schoolchildren Any higher and too much weight is thrown on revealed 91 per cent had some kind of foot pro blem and that 71 percent were wearing ill-fitting the ball of the foot which eventually thins out the muscle protecting the delicate bones here. Thick shoes. skin develops to compensate. The Irish infant foot is almost as broad as it High heels also contribute to varicose veins byis long, unlike that of its British or European preventing the toes and feet from Hexing, an ac counterparts. tion necessary to pump blood back up through Infant shoes must fit properly or they will lead the veins. to all kinds of problems in adulthood, from bu nions to deformed feet. W I S E B U Y S F O R H E A L T H Y FEET But parents should not buy a child's shoes un til he has taken three unaided steps. It is useless to spend, a fortune on healthy leather shoes if they are worn over tight, swea TIPS FOR W A L K I N G TALL GROWTH SLOWS D O W N ty, synthetic socks. Wash feet daily in warm water, Dry Make sure that all-in-one sleeping suits for Between the ages of one and four a child's foot thoroughly. particularly between the toes. grows two and a half sizes each year so shoes babies are not too tight round the feet.(cut the Remove hard skin on the soles. It can be should be changed every three months. toe sections off if necessary) and that bedclothes are not tucked tightly over the child's toes. removed with a file or hard skin stone. Studies The growth slows down as the child gets older, have shown that the skin on the foot is, in some w ith the average foot in the five to ten age group There should be '/: inch between the end of the places, twenty times thicker than it is on any other growing by one size each year. longest toe and the end of the shoe to allow for part of the body. Children should be allowed to go barefoot as the foot moving forward during walking. Because the feet are so far away from the heart. often as possible, or loose socks should be worn But don't be tempted to buy shoes which are I poor circulation can mean that the skin tends to if the weather is cold. too big. as your child could develop claw toes, become dry and prone to fissures. Ironically, children cannot tell that their in an effort to keep them on. Rough skin remover creams will rub off the footwear is too tight. Their bones are relatively Shoes for everyday wear should have laces or I tlaky cells and moisturise the tender young skin soft and as a result, they are often unaware their a strap across the instep, because this allows a | underneath. much better fit. When the child is seated, check shoes don't fit properly. that the heel doesn't slip as this can cause pain Massage feet with a rich moisturiser. This will Foot experts say the early teens are also a par | help stimulate circulation. ticularly vulnerable time for children's feet ful chafing. Use a footspray to keep feet dry and because the bones mould to whatever shape they The upper should not be pressing down on any | comfortable. ol the toes. If it does, the shoes are too narrow are held in for the longest time. Change stockings and footwear daily and allow At this stage, pointed shoes and high heels, lor your child's foot. shoes ;o "air" lo minimise the growth of odour- which cram the toes into the front of the shoe, causing bacteria will cause permanent deterioration. Feet are known to have some 250,000 sweat Bunions, corns, ingrowing toenails can all glands so the interior of footwear should be make their presence felt in the early teens. sprayed or deodorising insoles used to minimise The bones in the feet begin to harden after the foot odours. age of seven, but it is not until the age of 18 and 9 that the feet are fully formed. They need as much care and attention as any part of the body but all too often they are overlooked. It is only when they start to hurt that we realise, all too late, how important they are. The fool acts as the body's shock absorber, sus taining a pressure of about three to four times the body's weight with each step. During a lifetime, your feet may walk the equivalent of four times around the earth's circumference.

It pays to look after your feet. Consider Most l'(K>t problems stem from the kind of shoes ing the amount of work they do, we usually should wear a heel higher than one and a quarter inches. do not give them the attention they deserve. you wore during your childhood and teens.

FIRST

The top of the shoe should just clear the bot tom of the ankle bone, but make sure there's enough room to prevent chafing. Make legs look younger by improving your posture when standing, walking and sitting

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BEST F O O T F O R W A R D

Will your child grow up with misshapen. I damaged and painful feet? Well, it all depends on the type of shoes you allow him/her to wear?

F O O T

NOTES

Mention style and high heels automatically spring to mind. But medically speaking, no one

NO ONE SHOULD

WEAR A HEEL HIGHER

THAN ONE AND A

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