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Understanding Your Health Through Your Feet: Signs of Foot Health to Watch Out For

Signs of foot health according to a foot expert… Cold feet can be a risk for heart disease and a bunion can be gout.

Posted on 18.02.2024 at 08:24 Posted on 18.02.2024 at 08:24 Views 5

You can tell a lot about your health through the condition of your feet and toes. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]Although your toes take up a small part of your body, experts say you can tell a lot about your health through the condition of your feet and toes.

Dr. Chun Tang, a general practitioner and director of Pall Mall Medical in the United Kingdom, recently shared information about the signs of health problems that can be detected by looking at the toes in an interview with the British newspaper The Sun. “The condition of toes can give you information about your overall health through potential indicators such as discoloration, swelling and the appearance of your toenails,” said Dr. Tang. “Regularly monitoring these subtle changes can help prevent underlying health problems from progressing.” early diagnosis and intervention.” “It can be prevented,” he said. What health problems can be detected by the condition of the feet?

△Wounds that don’t heal

If a foot wound doesn’t heal, you may have diabetes. “Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body has difficulty controlling blood sugar levels. When glucose levels rise, blood vessels and nerves are damaged, which can lead to poor blood circulation and a decrease in sensitivity in the feet,” said Dr. Tang. If the flow deteriorates, diabetic patients are prone to foot ulcers,” he explained. He added: “Wounds on the toes may not heal properly due to a compromised immune response, increasing the risk of infections and complications.”

△Cold fingers

If your toes are consistently cold, it’s a good idea to see a doctor. This is because it can be a sign of hypothyroidism, heart disease, or arthritis. According to Dr. Tang, when thyroid function is low, your metabolism slows and blood flow to your hands and feet decreases, which can make you feel cold. If your metabolism slows, your body’s ability to regulate body temperature may decrease.

Dr. Tang said: “Heart disease, especially vascular disease such as atherosclerosis (a disease in which blood vessels narrow due to the buildup of cholesterol within the blood vessel walls) interferes with blood circulation to the toes, preventing oxygen and nutrients from being supplied properly. “”As a result, your toes may feel cold because not enough blood is being delivered,” he explained.

Even if you have arthritis, blood flow may be restricted and the affected area may become cold. This also makes your toes stiff and difficult to move, making it difficult to warm them up.

△Excessively large big toe

An excessively large toe can be a sign of gout, Dr. Tang said. Gout is a disease in which needle-shaped uric acid crystals build up in the joints as the concentration of uric acid increases. This causes inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues, causing sudden, intense pain, swelling, and redness. It usually affects the big toe.

△Fingers retracted

Another disease that can be detected from the toes is anemia. Anemia is a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin in red blood cells, which causes the blood to not supply enough oxygen needed for metabolism in human tissues, resulting in tissue hypoxia. According to Dr. Tang, anemia can cause toenails to break or turn into spoon-shaped nails.

△Swelling

There can be many causes for swelling or pain in your toes, but a common cause is dehydration. When there is a shortage of water in the body, the body retains sodium to maintain water balance, which increases the amount of water in the body tissues and causes edema.

△Hair disappears

If the hair on your toes falls out for no reason, it could be a sign of a blood circulation problem. One of the main symptoms of peripheral artery disease is hair loss on the feet. This is caused by the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries, which restrict the blood supply to the leg muscles. These narrowed and hardened arteries especially interfere with the blood supply to the toes and prevent a sufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles, ultimately causing the hair follicles to shrink and shed thinner, shorter hair.

△Bend your toes

Everyone’s feet look different and in most cases there is no reason to worry, but if there is a bone protruding inside the big toe, it could be hallux valgus (hallux valgus). Hallux valgus refers to a condition in which the big toe is severely bent toward the second toe, causing the big toe joint to protrude inward. When the alignment of the joint is misaligned and pressure is applied, inflammation and painful swelling occurs.

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