Sweet Feet Footcare

08/12/2025

07/12/2025

🦶 What actually happens during a podiatry appointment?
If you've never seen a podiatrist before, here’s a simple breakdown of what to expect:

👣 1. Medical History Check
We start with a quick chat about your health, medications, and any foot concerns.

👣 2. Vascular & Neurological Checks
I assess circulation and nerve function to make sure your feet are healthy from the inside out.

👣 3. Full Foot Assessment
This includes checking nails, skin, pressure areas, and any signs of infection or structural issues.

👣 4. Treatment
This may include:
• Nail cutting & filing
• Removal of hard skin & corns
• Ingrown nail management
• Fungal nail/skin assessment
• Diabetic foot care
• Advice tailored to your needs

👣 5. Moisturise & Finish
Your treatment ends with a soothing foot lotion and aftercare advice to keep your feet feeling great.

A podiatry appointment isn’t just a “quick tidy” — it’s a full clinical treatment focused on comfort, health, and prevention. 💙

📍 Sweet Feet Footcare, Ferryhill
📞 07742 869817 text or message the page to book

07/12/2025

👣🧲 Proprioception: Your Feet’s Hidden Superpower

Your feet aren’t just for standing and walking — they contain thousands of tiny receptors that act like built-in GPS sensors, constantly telling your brain where your body is in space.
This sense is called proprioception, and most people have never heard of it.

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🧠 What Is Proprioception?

Proprioception is your body’s ability to know:
• where your limbs are
• how much pressure is under your foot
• which muscles to activate to stay balanced
• how to correct yourself when you wobble

Your feet are constantly sending signals to your brain — even when you're standing still.

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👣 Why Your Feet Are So Important for Balance

The soles of your feet contain over 200,000 nerve endings.
They detect:

✔ Pressure
✔ Texture
✔ Movement
✔ Temperature
✔ Position

This sensory information travels to the brain in milliseconds — helping you react instantly and stay upright.

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🔄 When Proprioception Fails…

Poor proprioception can lead to:

• more trips and stumbles
• difficulty walking on uneven ground
• ankle sprains
• poor posture
• slower reaction times
• reduced confidence when walking

It’s especially common in:
• diabetes
• neuropathy
• older adults
• after foot/ankle injury
• people who sit a lot

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🦶 Can You Improve It? Absolutely.

Simple exercises help strengthen your foot–brain connection:

✔ Standing on one leg
✔ Toe spreading
✔ Foot rolling on a ball
✔ Walking barefoot on safe surfaces
✔ Ankle circles
✔ Balance exercises

Better proprioception = better balance, fewer injuries, and more confident walking.

05/12/2025

👣✨ Feet & Spirituality — More Connected Than You Think

Throughout history and across many cultures, feet have been seen as a symbol of grounding, strength and connection.
Whether you’re spiritual or not, there’s something meaningful about how our feet support us — physically and emotionally.

Here are some beautiful ways feet link to wellbeing:

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🌍 1. Feet keep us grounded

In many traditions, feet represent our connection to the earth.
Walking barefoot on natural ground (“grounding”) is believed to reduce stress and improve calmness.

Even just feeling stable on your feet can help you feel more centred.

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🧘‍♀️ 2. They carry our emotional load

Stress, tension and anxiety often show up in the feet as:
• tight arches
• clenched toes
• aching heels
• tired legs

Caring for your feet can ease emotional heaviness too.

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💗 3. Touching the feet is a sign of care

In many cultures, washing or caring for someone’s feet symbolises:
• respect
• compassion
• healing

It’s one of the most nurturing forms of self-care.

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🔄 4. Reflexology & energy pathways

Even though not everyone believes in energy lines, many people find that:
• massaging the feet
• stretching the toes
• releasing tension

…helps them feel lighter, calmer, and more balanced.

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🕊️ 5. Healthy feet = a healthier mind

When your feet feel good, you:
• move more
• sleep better
• feel grounded
• feel less tense

Our feet influence our whole body — and even our mood.

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💙 A reminder:

Your feet carry you through every part of life.
Looking after them isn’t just physical care — it’s emotional and spiritual care too.

04/12/2025

03/12/2025

👟 Footwear Through History — A Journey for Your Feet!

People have been protecting (and decorating!) their feet for thousands of years. Here’s a look at how footwear has changed over time…

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🟡 Ancient Egypt (c. 1500 BC)

Material: Papyrus & palm leaves
Style: Simple open-toe sandals
Fun fact: Pharaohs wore sandals with turned-up toes to show status.

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🟥 Ancient Rome (c. 100 AD)

Material: Leather
Style: Caligae — heavy-duty military sandals
Fun fact: Roman soldiers walked 20+ miles a day in these!

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🟤 Medieval Europe (c. 1200–1500)

Style: Pattens — wooden platforms worn under shoes
Fun fact: They protected people from mud and sewage in the streets.

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🔵 Renaissance (c. 1500–1600)

Style: Chopines — extremely tall platform shoes
Fun fact: Some were over 20 inches high, requiring attendants to help the wearer walk!

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❤️ 18th Century – Birth of the Heel

Style: Decorative heels, buckles & silk fabrics
Fun fact: Men wore heels long before women — including Louis XIV.

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🪵 Japan – Geta & Zori

Style: Wooden sandals with raised blocks (geta)
Purpose: Kept feet dry during rain & improved posture.

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🖤 Victorian Era (c. 1800s)

Style: Button boots with narrow pointed toes
Fun fact: Women used button hooks because boots were so tight!

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👟 20th Century – Trainers Arrive

Style: Sports shoes become everyday wear
Fun fact: The first running shoe company was founded in 1895 — well before Nike!

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💙 Modern Footwear (Today)

We now have:
✔ Orthopaedic footwear
✔ Memory foam insoles
✔ Breathable materials
✔ Wide-fit options
✔ Shoes designed for specific foot conditions
— all helping us care for our feet better than ever before.

02/12/2025