As you enter your senior years, taking good care of your entire body is one of the best ways to stay healthy and active for as long as possible. Keeping your feet in top shape, and treating problems that arise quickly, keeps you active and mobile.
Older adults need to care for their feet differently and sometimes get different kinds of treatment than they did at a younger age. Keep learning to read about the surgical and nonsurgical podiatry care board-certified podiatrist Thomas Rambacher, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, from Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California, recommends for seniors.
Geriatric podiatry is specialized foot and ankle care for adults who are older than 65. As you age, your feet change, and so does the type of care and support your feet need.
Older adults are more likely to get certain types of foot conditions, including bunions, arthritis, and hammertoes. You’re also more prone to open sores and cuts on your feet that have difficulty healing.
The way you need to care for your feet, and the forms of surgery available to you, can also change.
Maintaining a relationship with Dr. Rambacher is important at every age, but it becomes even more critical in your golden years. Getting regular checks on your feet allows him to catch issues early and treat them in a way that keeps you as mobile as possible.
Circulation reduces as part of the aging process, and that might cause you to have reduced sensation and thinner, more sensitive skin on your feet. This makes it especially important to check your feet regularly for cuts, sores, and ingrown toenails you might not otherwise notice.
It’s possible to improve your foot circulation by staying active, stretching daily, and massaging your feet. Quitting smoking if you smoke and elevating your legs can also help.
You can reduce your risk of ingrown toenails by trimming your toenails regularly and straight across. Not walking barefoot, even indoors, protects your feet from injury, reduces your fall risk, and makes you less likely to contract fungal infections.
As you age, the risks of undergoing surgery increase. Adults over 65 are at greater risk of experiencing complications from surgery than those under 65.
If you have a foot or ankle condition that sometimes requires surgery, our team carefully evaluates if you’d be safe undergoing surgery. Your overall health is a factor, as well as your age.
Dr. Rambacher focuses on minimally invasive surgery as well as alternatives to surgery in geriatric patients. Minimally invasive surgery is performed with tiny incisions, which makes you less likely to experience complications and helps you recover more quickly.
Medicare offers coverage for many kinds of podiatry issues. Medicare usually covers if your foot or ankle procedure is medically necessary to relieve an issue like foot pain or nerve damage.
Our team at Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle is proud to take Medicare insurance from any patient with coverage. Our team can work with you to help you understand if Medicare covers your treatment and if there’s any share of the cost you’d need to pay.
Dr. Rambacher and our entire team are dedicated to providing compassionate care to geriatric patients. Contact us to get started working with Dr. Rambacher and the team.
