Athlete’s Foot Treatment In Elderly Adults

Athlete’s foot is a condition of the foot that can affect any individual irrespective of their age or whether they are athletes or not. Athlete’s foot is quite common in elderly adult probably due to poor hygiene and poor health.

If you have an elderly adult or you are in charge of taking care of elderly adults and they are complaining about itching especially in the areas between the toes, then it will be wise to check the feet for signs of athlete’s foot.

Some of the signs of athlete’s foot include itching, burning sensation, pain, odor due to bacterial infection of the skin, dryness of the soles, cracked skin may occur.

Athlete’s foot in elderly adult is very different as a result of reduce or loss of feelings in their feet, weaken immune system. When an elderly adult starts complaining of itching and scratching of the feet, it could be far more complicated foot problem.

The best thing to do in this situation is to take your elderly to a podiatrist to properly check the foot to determine whether it is athlete’s foot or not. This is necessary because it may not only be athlete’s foot, there could be other foot condition besides athlete’s foot. After examination, a podiatrist could as well offer the right treatment for the condition.

In case of mild infection, over the counter (OTC) athlete’s foot medication may be proper.

Ordinarily, some cases of athlete’s foot go away without treatment. In most cases, this is not so in elderly adults as they usually notice the condition especially when it has gone to an advanced stage which will become difficult to go on its own, even with the use of some over the counter medication. This is why it is always advised to see a podiatrist for proper foot examination. Using over the counter medication should be temporary especially if you find it difficult to get access to a podiatrist.

To prevent athlete’s foot from developing to an advanced stage, it is wise to always check the feet of the elderly from time to time and also, take them to a podiatrist regularly. In other words, give the best possible foot care to your elderly adults.

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Why Do Your Feet Fall Asleep? And What To Do About It

Have you sat for a long time and when you want to get up, you suddenly feel a strange sensation in your feet as though the feet asleep. Yes, you have! Everyone has experienced this feeling at one point or the other in their life.

Asleep foot which is also known as paresthesia, is an abnormal skin sensations (as tingling, tickling, itching or burning). Its a feeling on the foot that can be annoying especially within the time it occur. It occurs on the foot as a result of pressure on one part of your foot which cut off communication from your brain to your feet. Interference with nerve pathway to the brain causes you not to have feeling in that part of the feet.

Foot falling asleep for a few minutes and becomes normal may not be a sign of serious health problem. It could be, if it occurs for a longer period or if it keeps occurring, as it could be a sign of possible nerve damage.

You don’t have to worry if your feet go to sleep as it occurs to almost everyone one in a while. If you get it, you can get relieve by following these tips.

• Change position if you discovered that one of your feet starts to give you a strange sensation or feelings.


• Get up and walk around. Once you move, your foot nerve pathway starts to flow normal. If you find it difficult to move around because the feet hurts, then just stand. With time it will become normal.


• Contact your doctor if the condition last for more than 10 minutes or if it last over a long period. This is necessary as it could be a sign of a serious disease.

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Most Common Causes Of Itchy Feet While Exercising

Itchy feet are a condition of the feet that is somewhat common during exercise. Many people have often complained of itchy feet while exercising. I wrote a post in the past on the causes of itchy feet while running. You can read it to learn about the causes of itchy feet pertaining to that part of exercise.
It is often tempting to scratch the feet when you got itchy feet. However, this is not advisable as scratching the feet can affect the skin of the feet especially when done continuously. If you are to scratch your feet just the way it scratches you, you are sure to remove the skin of your feet. I would suggest instead of scratching the feet, rub your hands on the affected area on your feet. Rubbing your hands on the affected area will definitely relieve you of the itchiness. But, this certainly will not lead to cure. Your feet can itch while exercising. This can be during or after exercising. There are factors responsible for this. However, the cause of itchy feet during or after exercise varies from one person to another. You can consult your health care provider or doctor to help decide the real cause of your itchy feet if you got a problem with figuring out the cause. Below are some of the possible causes of itchy feet during and after exercising.

• Athlete’s foot: Athlete’s foot is the most possible cause of itchy feet while exercising. It usually appear in areas between the toes. It is a common problem for those who exercise especially those who exercise for a long time. When you exercise especially for a long time, the feet tend to sweat and these increases with increasing participation. These sweats are locked in the socks and shoes which cause the foot to be damp and warm. These damp, warm and dark environments create a favorable ground for the fungus that causes athlete’s foot to thrive.

• Dry feet: Another cause of itchy feet while exercising is dry feet. it is very common to see people sweat when exercising. When the water dries up the skin and there is no water to replenish the water lost probably due to dehydration, the feet tend to dry. However, there are other factors such as disease that could cause the skin of the feet to dry. This includes people suffering from diabetes, psoriasis, etc. are you suffering from dry skin on the feet, and there are ways to help you relive the condition. Moisturize the skin daily will help to keep the skin supple and bring back your dry feet to the right condition.

There are other causes of itchy feet while exercising. The above two are the common cause of the condition.

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What Are The Causes Of Itchy Feet?

Sometimes the foot does itch. This does not necessary call for alarm. But, it becomes a problem if it happens repeatedly. There are several causes of itchy feet. These may be due to allergic reaction or irritation on the feet, insect bites, fungal infection, eczema, contact dermatitis, scabies, etc. Medication can also cause itchy feet. This is most times a sign that your skin is sensitive to the medication.
If your feet itch, never too worry, there are ways you can tackle the condition on your feet. However, treatment differs, it include taking prescription medication, soaking the feet, etc.
Below are some of the causes of itchy feet.

Causes of itchy feet

• Dry feet can result in itchy feet. Dry feet occur more on skin that lack the ability to keep moisture. It is more common with older people because their skin has become thinner and as such do not have the ability to hold back to moisture. However, some medical condition can also result in dry feet.


• Athlete’s foot is another cause of itchy feet. It is a fungal infection that occurs mostly in the areas between the toes.


• The areas of the skin of the feet infected with hookworm can also itch.


• Another cause of itchy feet is a condition known as contact dermatitis. This skin condition occurs when the skin of the feet reacts to irritants. When the feet come in contact with certain substances that they are allergic to, it could lead to the condition. Walking barefooted will expose the feet to such substances. There are over the counter products that can help to tackle the condition. However, you can seek help from a medical doctor to help out with the condition.


• Rash on the feet can be accompanied by itching.

There are several other causes of itchy feet. I wrote a post in the past on the causes of itchy feet at night. Understanding these causes will help you to stop the itching or better still prevent it.
If you got itchy foot and you feel is beyond your control, the right thing to do is to contact your health care provider to check or assess the feet to decide the right cause and right treatment for the itchiness.

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Preventing Itchy Feet During Winter

Preventing itchy feet is very important, but, how can you do so during winter. One of the causes of itchy feet is dry feet. Most people often get dry feet during winter. Winter is the time when dry feet, itchy feet tends to return. Dry feet during winter occur as a result of the low temperatures that characterized the period and the insufficient moisture in the air. So, you have to do all that you can to prevent this condition. What can be done? Good question! The following tips will help.

How to prevent itchy feet in winter

• Get a humidifier if you don’t have one, and use it during winter. This helps you to take control over your environment and help you moisturize your room. Thereby preventing you from dry skin that characterized that period.

• Moisturize the skin of the feet regularly. There are several moisturizing creams and lotions for the feet available over the counter to help give your skin that suppleness it requires. This help to prevent the skin from getting dry and in turn help in preventing itchy feet.

• Winter period is usually very cold. And as such, most people may want to take their bathe or wash certain parts of their body with hot water. Try as much as possible to avoid hot water bathe or washing your feet with hot water. Hot water tends to cause the feet to get dry easily by taking out the moisture from the skin. Instead of hot water, bathe with warm water or lukewarm water.
  

• Take in more water during this period as it help to keep the skin hydrated internally thereby preventing itchy feet.

• Put on the "right clothing" for your feet during winter. Protect your feet from the cold wind with the right socks and shoes. You can put on boots to protect your feet. Don’t go out without your boots.

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