Foot Care

Foot Care Instructions

Foot care is an important part of your health. Noticing and addressing any potential problems early is the best way to prevent future foot problems.

How to care for your feet

Foot Hygiene

• Wash your feet daily with warm water and mild soap. Do notuse hot water. Then, pat your feet and the areas between your toes until they are completely dry. Do notsoak your feet as this can dry your skin.
• Trim your toenails straight across. Do notdig under them or around the cuticle. File the edges of your nails with an emery board or nail file.
• On the skin on your feet and on dry, brittle nails, apply a moisturizing lotion or petroleum jelly that is unscented and does not contain alcohol. Do notapply lotion between your toes.

Shoes and Socks

• Wear clean socks or stockings every day. Make sure they are not too tight.
• Wear shoes that fit properly and have enough cushioning. To break in new shoes, wear them for just a few hours a day. This prevents you from injuring your feet. Always look in your shoes before you put them on to be sure there are no objects inside.

Wounds, Scrapes, Corns, and Calluses

• Check your feet daily for blisters, cuts, and redness. If you cannot see the bottom of your feet, use a mirror or ask someone for help.
• Do notcut corns or calluses. Do nottry to remove them with medicine.
• If you find a minor scrape, cut, or break in the skin on your feet, keep it and the skin around it clean and dry. These areas may be cleaned with mild soap and water. Do notclean the area with peroxide, alcohol, or iodine.
• If you have a wound, scrape, corn, or callus on your foot, look at it several times a day to make sure it is healing and is not infected. Check for:
  • More redness, swelling, or pain.
  • More fluid or blood.
  • Warmth.
  • Pus or a bad smell.

General Instructions

• Do notcross your legs. That may decrease the blood flow to your feet.
• Do notuse heating pads or hot water bottles on your feet. They may burn your skin. If you have lost feeling in your feet or legs, you may not know it is happening until it is too late.
• Make sure your health care provider does a complete foot exam at least annually or more often if you have foot problems. If you have foot problems, report any cuts, sores, or bruises to your health care provider immediately.

Contact a health care provider if:

• You have a medical condition that increases your risk of infection and you have any cuts, sores, or bruises on your feet.
• You have an injury that is not healing.
• You notice redness on your legs or feet.
• You feel burning or tingling in your legs or feet.
• You have pain or cramps in your legs or feet.
• Your legs or feet are numb.
• Your feet always feel cold.
• You have pain around a toenail.

Get help right away if:

• You have a wound, scrape, corn, or callus on your foot and:
  • You have more redness, swelling, or pain.
  • You have more fluid or blood.
  • Your wound, scrape, corn, or callus feels warm to the touch.
  • You have pus or a bad smell coming from the wound, scrape, corn, or callus.
  • You have a fever.
• You have a red line going up your leg.