IS YOUR JOB KILLING YOUR FEET?

A recent study suggests that some workers can walk as much as 1,632 miles a year on the job. That's approximately the distance between Miami, Florida and Portland, Maine.

If you're a police officer, mail carrier, doctor, nurse, or healthcare worker these professions are considered foot intensive, and they put workers at risk of foot discomfort and related ailments.

The same study reports that teachers, factory workers, and bankers are also prone to foot problems. And for everyone else, even if you don't walk a lot at work, just standing can create foot problems.

Some common complaints from members of foot-intensive occupations are heel pain, arch pain, toe pain, ankle pain, calluses, corns, and foot deformities such as bunions and spurs. These workers may also suffer from knee, leg, hip, and lower back pain as a result of their jobs.

Think your feet are doomed? Not necessarily.

Our “Secret Weapon” custom orthotic shoe inserts can not only help your work and athletic performance, but they can also help you get out of pain and bounce back from an injury much more quickly. In addition to relieving pain and reducing inflammation, custom orthotics help control the alignment and function of the foot. This helps treat and prevent injuries caused by sharp or excessive movement during physical activity.

Here are some tricks for foot-intensive trades that can help prevent some of these types of foot problems and alleviate foot pain.

1.      Dress your feet for comfort, not fashion. This includes buying your shoes late in the day when your feet are most swollen, so they'll fit when your feet are at their largest.

2.      Dress your feet for safety; wear safety shoes on jobs where your feet are exposed to danger.

3.      Whenever possible, remove your shoes and massage your feet to improve circulation.

4.      To relax your muscles, make small circles with your ankles ten times in each direction. To strengthen muscles, lift weights with your feet.

5.      At the end of the day soak your feet in a warm foot bath.

6.      Get fitted for custom orthotic shoe inserts.

Custom orthotics can help you reach and achieve your goals and improve your activity so that you can do more with less pain.  Visit our website www.drleecohen.com/custom-orthotics and schedule your comprehensive biomechanical evaluation today www.drleecohen.com/contact or call our Sports Medicine Podiatry Center and book an appointment at either our Cherry Hill, N.J. Sports Medicine Podiatry Center or Ridley Park, P.A. office location with one of our podiatric sports medicine podiatrists today at (610) 522-9200.