Foot pathologies occur at different ages, but after age 60 we must face all that we ignored during all our life. Age, per se, is not a pathology. Nevertheless, as time goes by, some of the problems have a tendency to worsen for most of us. Often, seniors face common conditions such as cutting hypertrophic or dystrophic nails, a task that some elderly people may find very difficult to perform, or must manage other chronic foot conditions. The podiatrist’s aim is to maintain the well-being and also the mobility of the patient.
Common problems such as swollen and painful feet and difficulty walking may seriously limit the self-sufficiency of the elderly and his/her well-being. Wearing non physiological shoes, walking on distressing surfaces, tiredness and weight may often cause minor ailments due to age-related physiological changes in the foot structure that is no longer elastic. In order to re-establish a good individual autonomy, periodic podiatric treatment, adequate shoes in conjunction with custom-made foot orthotics and orthotic devices are the solutions to better manage these problems.
