Many myths and old wives’ tales are fun to laugh at; however, when they involve your health, you must get your facts right, or run the risk of making worse seemingly harmless conditions.

1. 5 Foot Care Myths Debunked
Many myths and old wives’ tales are fun to laugh at; however, when they involve your
health, you must get your facts right, or run the risk of making worse seemingly
harmless conditions. From cuts and bunions to broken ankles, you do have anecdotal
myths galore; but podiatrists advice getting right the facts behind them instead of
blindly believing them. We bust five common foot care myths here for your benefit.
Myth-1: Shoes trigger bunions
Fact: In most cases, bunions stem from either congenital deformities (which refers to
deformities present at birth) or inherited faulty foot types. Foot injuries too can trigger
bunions. Although many wrongly believe bunions are inherited conditions, the foot

2. type lies at the root of the problem. Wearing high heels or shoes that are too tight and
narrow can crowd your toes and increase your risk of bunions or worsen them over
time; but shoes are not the culprit to blame.
Myth-2: My injured ankle/foot isn't broken if I can walk on it
Fact: Despite the extent of your injury and the level of pain you can bear, it’s not
impossible to walk on a broken ankle/foot. However, podiatrists strictly advice against
doing this, since it will worsen the damage already caused by the broken bone. It’s wise
not to put any undue pressure on it (by standing, walking, etc.) and to get your injured
foot diagnosed immediately by a foot doctor. You may apply ice on the injured foot and
keep it elevated to get some relief from the pain.
Myth-3: Foot pain with old age is normal
Fact: Suffering from foot pain isn’t normal, no matter what your age is. Therefore,
instead of taking old age as the cause of any foot pain that you might be experiencing
and neglecting the condition, you should make an appointment with your podiatrist
right away. A proper diagnosis of the condition is necessary for timely treatment and
quick relief from the pain.
Myth-4: Any foot wound would heal on its own
Fact: Remember that a majority of deep wounds won’t heal on their own. It is
important therefore to get your foot wound examined by a podiatrist within 24 hours. If
you wait for too long, the wound may become infected. In some cases, the condition
may worsen and require hospitalization that might end in amputation. Limb loss
statistics of the Amputee Coalition of America show that almost 185,000 lower
extremity amputations are recorded in the US on a yearly basis and an estimated 2
million Americans live with limb loss.

3. Myth-5: Duct tape can ‘suffocate’ warts
Fact: Warts are commonly caused by viral skin infection and you can’t suffocate them
with duct tape. This is especially true if you have pre-existing conditions like diabetes
or suffer from neurological, immunological, or circulatory problems: you need to be
extremely careful with warts removal, which should ideally be done under professional
care. It’s best to consult your podiatrist for carrying out the right process of warts
removal rather than try doing it on your own with duct tape: it could aggravate the
harm already done instead of doing any good.
Don’t neglect your foot and ankle conditions, carried away by common myths. Treat
them in earnest by consulting an experienced and reputed podiatrist for the right
diagnosis and treatment.
Cupertino Podiatry
10353 Torre Avenue, Suite C
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-446-5811
http://www.cupertinopodiatrist.com/