Foot Health Week

Home
FHW Events 2006
Foot Problems Help
Foot Health Week 2005
Foot Health Week 2006 Foot Health Week 2007

Foot Health Week 2008 October 12 –18

Obese Aussies Risk Losing Their Feet

By Henry Pepper *

It’s easy to take the two feet we are born with for granted but just try living life without them!

Our feet are incredibly complex body parts. Each pair of feet is made up of 52 bones, 66 joints, 19 muscles and a network of more than 100 tendons, ligaments, muscles, blood vessels and nerves that support our feet and help to absorb the shocks of walking and running.

To remind us of how important it is to maintain healthy feet, the Australasian Podiatry Council stages Foot Health Week each year to underline the strong links between foot health and individual well being and mobility.

Foot Health Week 2008 runs from Sunday October 12 to Saturday October 18 and the theme for this year’s event is how Obesity Can Damage Your Feet.

Being obese puts people at greater risk of developing diabetes and long-term foot, leg and back problems. At its worst, obesity creates diabetic complications that can lead to foot and toe amputations.

Obesity

Obesity is a growing problem for our society. In 2008 around 7.4 million Australians, almost half of all adults, are over weight. Almost one in three of these are obese, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s biennial national Australia’s Health 2008 snapshot. The same report also noted that around 3 in 10 young Australians are overweight or obese.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005 National Health Survey found that in middle-aged groups as many as 72% of men and 58% of women were overweight or obese. The economic costs of obesity in Australia today are estimated to total around $58 billion each year, according to Access Economics.

Obesity can put people at risk of long-term foot, leg, back and other chronic health problems – including type 2 Diabetes, certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure - as carrying extra weight negatively affects every part of the body.

The physical state of becoming over weight or obese arises through a prolonged energy imbalance. Although many factors may influence a person’s weight, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), a sustained energy imbalance need only be minor for weight gain to occur. According to the World Health Organisation, some people may be more likely to gain weight than others because of genetic and biological factors.

High body weight was estimated by the AIHW to be responsible for 7.6% of the total disease burden in Australia during 2003.

Obesity Linked to Foot Development Problems

According to Australian podiatrists, being obese or over weight has a negative impact on the way the foot and lower limb functions during walking, running and other physical activities. Obesity can also put extra pressure on the joints in the foot, leading to problems in the way the foot aligns and functions.

Excess weight can damage the delicate and immature nature of children’s feet, leaving them at particular risk of developing foot deformities and abnormalities.
Obese children have wider and longer feet than normal, according to research by British Podiatrists. They also found that obese children have problems balancing and tended to walk at a slower pace.

The International Journal of Obesity found in a 2001 study that foot problems in obese children could prevent them from participating in sports and other desirable forms of physical activity. Australia’s podiatrists, our foot care professionals, say this finding underlines the importance of focusing on the prevention of obesity, not trying to cure the problem after it has occurred.

Excess weight in older age impairs mobility, participation in social activities and often reduces quality of life. It is estimated by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that Australian females aged 30 to 34 in 1980, gained 12kg as they aged to 50 to 54 years of age by 2000, while the average Australian male in the same age group gained over 8kg during the same 20 year period.

Obesity and Diabetes

Diabetes is becoming more common in Australia with its prevalence at least doubling during the past two decades, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Australia’s Health 2008 report. The inter-relationship between diabetes and obesity is clear: being obese or over weight and having poor nutritional habits are key drivers of the onset of Type-2 Diabetes.

The food we eat produces sugar, which is absorbed into the cells with the help of insulin to give us energy. When sugar does not get absorbed into the cells – because not enough insulin is produced by our pancreas, or because insulin is not used effectively by the body - it remains in the blood and causes high blood sugar levels.

Diabetic foot problems can result in significant social, medical and economic consequences. Diabetes can lead to damage to blood vessels and nerves, reduced blood flow to the feet, a reduction in the ability of sufferers to feel their feet and the increased risk of developing foot ulcers and infections. Sometimes, amputation of the affected foot or toe becomes unavoidable. However, with early care by their podiatrist, most patients can avoid amputation.

The proportion of adults with diabetes reporting they were overweight or obese - and undertaking little or no regular exercise - was notably higher than for other non-afflicted adults, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005 National Health Survey.

Registered Clinical Trials have demonstrated that regular podiatric care of patients with high risk diabetic feet significantly reduces infection rates, hospital admission days, re-ulceration, foot amputations and mortalities.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes mostly arises in children or young adults, although it can occur at any age. Accounting for between 10 and 15% of all diabetes cases, Type 1 Diabetes occurs because of the failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin or because insulin is not effectively used by the body. People suffering Type 1 Diabetes need insulin replacement for survival.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes is not common amongst people under the age of 40. Type 2 diabetes occurs when not enough insulin is produced by our pancreas or because insulin is not used effectively by the body.

Reducing The Impacts of Obesity on Feet

Changing dietary habits to reduce sugar intake and increase the consumption of fibre and vitamins can help reduce weight.
Increase the amount of physical exercises undertaken, including walking for at least 45 minutes each day, to reduce weight.
Consult your podiatrist if you experience tingling, numbness or burning sensation in your feet.
Consult your podiatrist if you have to rest because of leg pain when you walk.
Consult your podiatrist if you experience any aches or pains in the ball, arch or heel of your foot.
Only wear well-fitting shoes.
People with diabetes should visit their local doctor for an annual foot screening.
Don’t smoke.
Have corns, calluses and other foot problems treated by your podiatrist as soon as they emerge.

Feet Facts and Stats

Children’s feet are mostly cartilage when they are born and the bones will keep growing and developing throughout childhood and adolescence. Feet grow most rapidly during childhood, as many parents already know kids can change their shoe size every few months.

Children’s feet will reach half the average adult size by the age of 18 months.

By the time the average person reaches an age of 50, they will have lost up to half of the shock-absorbing capacity of the natural foot pad.

A person will walk around 128,000 kms in the average lifetime – equivalent to walking around the world more than three times.

Our feet absorb 1.5 to 2 times our body weight during normal walking and up to four times body weight when we are jogging.

General Foot Care Hints

When shopping for new foot wear, you should consider:

Always having both feet measured for length and width.
The shoe should fit the natural shape of the foot especially around the toes.
The top of the shoe should allow toes to move freely and not be squashed from the top or the sides. Make sure there is about 10mm growing room for children between the end of the longest toe and the end of the shoe.
Properly fitted shoes are essential for foot health. A significant number of people wear poor-fitting shoes that can and do cause serious foot problems.
Shoes should fit comfortably around the heel and not be too loose or too tight.
Shop for shoes in the afternoon as feet tend to swell during the day.
Washing feet and keeping them dry and clean helps to avoid irritation and minimise infection.
Wear cotton socks, change them daily and air your shoes overnight to help reduce skin problems.
Pantyhose or stockings should be of the correct size and preferably free of seams

A visit to your local podiatrist is recommended if:

You notice uneven shoe wear.
If you notice skin rashes, hard skin lumps or bumps on your feet.
Your feet suffer in-grown toe nails, athlete’s foot or verrucas.
You suffer recurrent pain in feet or legs.
You are unexpectedly tripping or falling.
If you have any other concerns about your feet.

* Henry Pepper is the Communication Manager of the Australasian Podiatry Council

Resources for Podiatrists

Obesity can damage your feet

The main recommended communication tools for Foot Health Week 2008 are:

High-impact Foot Health Week signage for practice windows that APodC will provide to Member Organisations for distribution to podiatrists.
Click here for a pdf version of the sticker.
Podiatrists organising a weekend visit to local Adult sports or health clubs – footy, yoga, the gym, netball, cricket, soccer, swimming, personal trainers, etc – that function as ‘photo opportunities’ for local media organisations.
A template letter to contact your local sports clubs and get active in support of Foot Health Week 2008.
Please click here for the letter.
A media release.
Click here for a pdf.
A flyer - further information for Podiatrists.
Click here for a pdf.
For Podiatry members to receive a free Foot Health Week kit, contact the Australasian Podiatry Council: apodc@apodc.com.au.
Media inquiries: Andrew Cook, President, Australian Podiatry Association (Vic). Phone: 0418 142 420.

For more information, or to find a podiatrist near you, go to: http://www.feet.org.au.