Summer feet FEET on the beach
We probably all enjoy a trip to the beach and probably some of our fondest memories of childhood holidays involve memories of building sandcastles, paddling in the sea, or rock pool dipping.
For me I was blessed from age 8 to 18 to grow up near a beautiful beach only a 15-minute walk from the house with gorgeous golden sands (which when the tide was out would stretch almost a mile out to the sea.) Although on the east coast of England the location was particularly special boasting both beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the water where I learnt to swim.
Even in the winter we enjoyed walks along the beach sometimes being able to lean into the north easterly chilly wind which on occasions was strong enough to stop us falling over. We would spend hours with my Mum and Dad looking for semi-precious stones such as glorious orange Carnelians glinting amongst all the ordinary pebbles from which she would make Jewellery for the church fete.
Anyway, enough of my memories, although they did warm my heart to dwell on them for a few moments whilst typing this. Let me encourage you right now to think back to some of your fondest memories from the past. (It does not have to be involving the beach but whatever it is just take a few moments to go back there with a heart of gratitude.) I find this helps me to pivot from a place of grumbling, stress or feeling down to a place of gratitude and awareness of all the goodness there has been and can be in life. This can become a skill you can embrace whenever you’re feeling a bit stressed or down. So go ahead put this down and sit back close your eyes and daydream back into either a distant or possibly even a recent fond memory
Then there’s the other side of trips to the beach which can vary from the annoying to the downright dangerous. I remember sometimes the heavens opening and getting drenched, dog mess, the rubbish getting washed up on the tideline, the plague of ladybirds back in the summer of 1976, the time you only took one bite out of your sandwich before it lived up to its name after your sister got up and kicked sand (accidently of course) all over it. And as happened on more than one occasion your dog finding a dead seal or seagull and rolling in it .
But you’re reading this hoping to get some insights into foot health.
Walking barefoot along a beach especially along the waterline allowing the cool water to splash around your toes is a lovely experience on a warm summer day but there are aspects of a trip to the beach that can prove very annoying for your feet and even downright dangerous especially if your feet are at risk due to diabetes, poor circulation, loss of feeling or an impaired healing rate.
The rest of this article will focus on what these are and more importantly what you can do to minimise the risk of them happening to you next time you’re trying to build some memories on the beach.
Lets start with the annoying and work our way up to the more devastating life changing risks
Sandy feet at home time.
So you’ve been on the beach with your family and have trudged back to the car carrying the picnic things, rugs, windbreak (if you’ve been on a British beach ). There it is your pride and joy, your freshly cleaned car that you meticulously vacuumed and polished and now you have 4 pairs of feet plastered with sand all over them. Even if you are lucky enough that most of the sand has fallen off there’s still the eight little sand traps between the toes of each person’s feet.
Eventually after much rubbing and towelling and even pouring your drinking water over them you resign to the fact that you will need to relent and let them all get in knowing you’ll have to clean the floor again later. (Don’t even think about what it would be like if the dog found a dead seal.)
Sand between toes – athletes foot
Another reason for ensuring the sand is cleaned off is that if you then walk about a bit with it in your socks and shoes it can cause abrasions and particularly between the toes. I often see people in clinic after their summer holiday when the interdigital space between their little toe and the next one gets a flare up of Athletes foot. It’s the only time I myself get it. Athletes foot is a fungal infection that infects the superficial layers of the skin. It seems to get in when there is a microscopic break in the skin such as might be caused by sand rubbing and once there it colonises as it loves a damp dark warm environment. ( between the toes and especially the little ones is perfect for it.) It can be horribly itchy and can transmit to other parts of the body so be careful and don’t scratch it. Another reason for not scratching is that you might cause more of a break in the skin which then can allow a bacterial infection to infect. This of course is particularly dangerous if you have Diabetes.
There are various antifungal creams, sprays, gels and powders that can help along with good hygiene and ensuring the feet can “breathe” by not wearing occlusive footwear or hosiery. Also drying carefully between the toes with folded over kitchen paper and leaving time for the skin to dry naturally between your shower and putting on socks and shoes.
Foreign bodies
No I’m not talking about tourists (or if you’re abroad the bodies of the locals).
A foreign body is what we refer to when something external has penetrated your skin such as a piece of glass, a thorn or a piece of shell or as in the case of some clients I’ve seen the spines of sea urchins.
Here you need to use some common sense and a bit of risk assessment. Ask yourself Am I at a beach where there is likely to be sea urchins. One where there are lots of broken shells or one where there are lots of people and likely to be broken glass. Walking down by the water’s edge on compacted sand is less likely to have glass than up where people picnic in the softer sand where your feet can sink in more.
If you have at risk feet such as diabetes then don’t risk an injury. Instead wear beach shoes for walking and even when in the water. A simple cut can easily get infected and lead to serious complications.
Burns
These can be categorised further into different types.
Heat from above- Sunburn
The first is Sunburn which most of us will be aware of the dangers to our back, legs, chest, nose etc. In fact, we probably slap on the sun cream everywhere but forget the feet. I’ve seen some horrendous burns due to sunburn on people’s feet and these can easily get infected when they blister. Remember even if you aren’t suffering from Loss of sensation due to diabetes, the burning of the sun often isn’t felt at the time. The simple remedy of course is keep covered up, use sunscreen regularly and limit your exposure.
Heat from beneath – Barbeques and tarmac
The tarmac of paths and roads can literally melt in extreme heat and can burn skin easily especially if you have no sensitivity to heat because of something like Diabetes.
I know what you’re thinking- who would tread on a barbeque. I agree it’s unlikely to be deliberately done but the small ones in foil trays people often take to the beach can pose a threat not only to the clumsy but also the unsuspecting. I share this because of a case where a lady was being a good citizen and cleaning up after her groups barbeque. She picked up the first metal tray which was cold and stepped forward to pick up the next. She placed her foot on the sand where the cold tray had been not realising the sand retains the heat for hours afterwards and her foot sunk in with the sand enveloping her foot in scorching sand. She suffered serious burns requiring hospital treatment which took weeks to heal. Had she Been living with Diabetes it is likely that she would not have felt it, would not have moved and so would have suffered even more serious burns probably leading to an amputation.
Another reason for wearing beach shoes in areas likely to have had recent barbeques and a shout out to you if you’re planning one to make sure you only leave the site once its cooled. Ideally pour loads of water on it which will create steam and educate others in your party on just how hot the sand can get.
Why not pop along and get your feet checked. If you’re in London or Surrey then please do come along for an initial consultation at Circle Podiatry or go to the website www.circlepodiatry.co.uk