Age changes us in many profound physical and psychological ways. Some of them are more obvious than others, and many of them seem specific to individual areas of the body. However, while we might focus on those new fine lines on our face, the new backaches, and the changes to our hearing and sight, how often do we talk about the ways in which our hands and feet can change? If you’ve been noticing they need a little more care lately, here are some of the reasons why and just what you can do about them.
A New Pain At The Front Of Your Foot?
One of the most common conditions, to the point that it affects roughly 33% of all adults at some point in their life, is known as Morton’s neuroma. This painful condition is found at the ball of the foot, usually between the toes. It’s best described as feeling like you’re standing on a rock in your shoe even when you’re not. It happens due to a thickening of the tissue that presses into the foot. If this is diagnosed, then arch supports and orthotics can help relieve the pressure on the nerve, but there are also surgical options, such as directly injecting steroids into the affected area or, in the most extreme circumstances, removing the nerve entirely.
How Your Hands And Feet Look
The more notable changes to the hands are surface deep. While they might not be as painful or debilitating as some of the conditions also covered here, people can be just as concerned when they see these changes. Of course, aesthetic changes over time are natural, but there are ways to reverse them. For instance, age spots (which are actually due to long-term exposure to the sun) can be treated with fade creams. Crepey skin, prominent veins, and wrinkles can be treated with anti-aging creams as well as more long-term strategies like using collagen treatments. is your best bet if you’re looking for someone to help you reverse or at least halt some of these changes.
Fat Loss (And Not In A Good Way)
While aging is typically associated with putting on more fat, there is one place in particular that starts to see less of it. There’s fat padding on the underside of our feet which plays an important role in cushioning the bones and joints from the impact of moving in daily life. This can lead to pain in the heel and fall of the foot, as well as an increased chance of issues like plantar fasciitis and bone spurs. Orthotic foam shoe inserts can help to add the padding back to your foot, but there is also the surgical approach of using fillers to replace the lost fat padding.
The Risk Of Developing Arthritis
One of the most common chronic health issues that can especially affect the extremities of a person as they age, especially the hands, is arthritis. Not all forms of arthritis affect the hands, but many of them, including the most common type called osteoarthritis, do. In this case, our hands and other parts of our body can lose cartilage which leads to inflammation, swelling, and pain of the joints.
Anti-inflammatory medications are among the treatments that can address the symptoms of arthritis, but prevention is crucial, too, and can involve long-term health management strategies such as maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, and avoiding injuries to joints which can affect your mobility in the long-term. Even changes to your posture, such as making sure your hands are in the proper resting position when using keyboards, can improve your chances of preventing arthritis in the long term.
While experiencing these aging effects can be a daunting time in your life, it’s still extremely important to ensure you have the help you deserve when you need it. There are several options that you can explore, like finding out if you’re eligible for services such as ALTCS, which can make an enormous difference in your life.
Fungi Is Not Fun For Your Feet
Fungal infections of the foot and toenails can happen at any age and are very common after a case of an athlete’s foot. However, as we get older, we get more susceptible to it. As with many of the other issues related to the feet and age, the decreased circulation to the extremities plays a role, as reduced blood flow can lead to increased fungal growth.
So, too, can skin conditions, chronic health conditions like diabetes, and weakened immune systems, all more common as we get older. At some point, laser toenail fungus treatment may become essential to prevent permanent damage. Not only can toenails change appearance permanently, but they can become more painful and can spread into other infections that can have more dangerous effects, still.
Losing Ability In Your Hands
There are two major types of changes when it comes to our abilities with our hands. The first is a loss of strength, which can be exacerbated by arthritis, but typically begins to happen in our 50s even without arthritis. Declining muscle mass is the main reason. This is also a major factor in the second type of deterioration, which is a loss of manual dexterity. Rehabilitative training for your hands can help you maintain your hand’s ability for longer and even restore some lost strength and dexterity, though this will become harder to maintain as the years go on.
