Regarding your feet, there are many advantages of summertime. People often wear good running shoes. And even though sandals aren't always the best support fot your feet, they allow a lot of room. So when the fall comes people are going out of roomy comfortable sandals into snug fitting shoes. Sometimes even a slight change can cause a problem.
For example, ingrown toenails are often much more noticeable when you wear closed shoes and your toes are tight together and overlapping each other. The second toe can then abut the adjacent great toe all along the side of the toenail causing pressure here not just at the tip of the nail. Other problems related to shoe fit will start becoming a problem also such as bunions and hammertoes and calluses, when the shoe pressure and fit cause problems.
So what can you do? Wearing shoes that are much wider in the toebox will solve a lot of these problems. Some patients really go all the way with shoes like Birkenstock or Keene Shoes that have a nice squared off toebox. Other options include shoes they come in a wider width such as New Balance. You can get gel or foam spacers to go between your toes. Sometimes no matter what you do with the roomier shoes, there are still problems. If you have any of these symptoms and are concerned and would like to come in to see either Dr. Nelson or myself, please let us know.
