You have your next trip all set and ready to go- flight and hotel booked, tourist attractions noted. Maybe it’s to explore the beautiful romantic floating city of Venice, or experience the unique street food markets of Seoul, or capture the breathtaking scenic views of Banff’s glacial lakes. Wherever it is, you wouldn’t want your feet to stop you from enjoying your much-anticipated vacation. Continue reading to find 3 ways to help ensure your feet are in the best shape when exploring new cities.
- Compression Socks
Do your legs and feet swell when you stand or sit for a prolonged period? Do you experience painful, aching, tired, or heavy legs? If you are familiar with any of these symptoms and/or have varicose veins on your legs, it may be your body’s way of telling you your circulation is compromised, specifically your veins. Your veins work to bring the blood back to your heart; however, when their valves become ineffective, blood starts to pool wherever gravity pulls and lead to the symptoms noted above.
To counteract this, compression socks work to compress the limbs and effectively reduce the diameter of the distended veins. To put it simply, they help to push the blood back to the heart and therefore, improve circulation. Improving blood flow will in turn, control and reduce symptoms so you can focus on enjoying your vacation and not on your feet.
If you don’t have any issues with your circulation but plan on taking a particularly long flight to your destination, consider getting compression stockings as a preventative measure. Talk to a chiropodist today about the different compression hosiery available.
- Proper Footwear
If you’re going to be on your feet walking around a new city, it is in your best interest to make sure you are doing it in the right pair of shoes. Your footwear is an essential part of good foot health and can be the causative or exacerbating factor of foot pain and foot injuries.
Running shoes that provide good support, shock absorption, and stability are always the best choice when walking for prolonged periods of time. One way to check for this is to take the shoes in your hands and try to twist and turn the shoe or bend it in half. A good pair of runners should not be too flimsy in structure and be the correct size.
Whenever possible, try to limit the use of shoes such as flip flops, heels, and ballet flats. Always consider the activity when picking out your shoes for the day.
Custom orthotics are a medical device prescribed by a licensed chiropodist following a biomechanical assessment and gait analysis. If you’re experiencing foot pain, see a chiropodist to find out the root cause of your pain before you go on your vacation. There is a good chance it may be due to faulty biomechanics that need to be addressed and corrected. Increasing walking time and therefore the stresses applied to your feet while on vacation may only make the problem worse.
