The most common forms of rheumatism include osteoarthritis, arthritis, soft tissue rheumatism (e.g. fibromyalgia syndrome), osteoporosis and back pain. 1.5 million Swiss suffer from rheumatic complaints. The feet are also frequently affected. Gout, rheumatoid arthritis and/or inflammation of the Achilles heel are among the most common rheumatic diseases of the foot. The Swiss Rheumatism League is therefore setting an example for healthy feet with its “Focus on Feet” campaign.
With aching feet, every step becomes burdensome. This is especially a problem because the feet have to carry you around the world about three times during your lifetime. They therefore perform heavy work, which makes foot complaints (around 40% of adults suffer from them) a restriction in everyday life. Nevertheless, many people ignore such complaints. But how can foot pain be relieved and avoided? The Swiss Rheumatism League is dedicating a national campaign to this topic “Füsse im Fokus” (Feet in focus), in which it is supported by Simone Niggli-Luder, Sergei Aschwanden, Ludovic Magnin, Florence Schelling and David Dimitri.
When feet become crucial for professional success
Simone Niggli-Luder is an orienteering world champion, Sergei Aschwanden a judoka, Florence Schelling an ice hockey goalkeeper, David Dimitri a tightrope walker and Ludovic Magnin an ex-professional soccer player and youth coach.
These five Rheumaliga ambassadors are therefore particularly dependent on their feet in their work and can therefore credibly sensitize the population to the importance of healthy feet for well-being and professional success. Ludovic Magnin sums up his commitment as follows: “They jump, kick, dribble and hit the goal: feet deserve a trophy.”
Fitness for the feet
Specific exercises are useful to sensitize, stabilize and strengthen the feet so that chronic pain and acquired deformities are less likely. Not only does a strong foot musculature help the top athlete to prevent injuries, but also the occasional athlete. Such an exercise plan with applicable examples is offered in the new free brochure “Auf gesunden Füssen” from the Rheumaliga Schweiz. The message (also from the goalkeeper of the national ice hockey team Florence Schelling) is to go barefoot as often as possible: “I love variety: skates, high heels and preferably barefoot.” When walking barefoot, the foot is stimulated with every step and has to actively compensate for unevenness in the ground, which trains the muscles and promotes self-awareness.
The cause is usually banal
Most foot complaints are due to overloading and incorrect loading. So they have banal causes. In addition, especially in athletes, there are signs of wear and tear (due to jumps, speed or long training). In addition, deformities such as splayfoot, bowfoot and flatfoot promote foot disorders and can cause discomfort down to the knees, hips or spine.
Both, for example, a torn Achilles tendon during the Grümpel tournament and a painful hallux valgus (“crooked toe”) or heel spur foot pain require a professional diagnosis and adequate treatment. The Rheumaliga Schweiz provides information on the web, in publications and at events about treatment methods and shows those affected which contact persons are available for foot problems. Inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as gout and arthritis are particularly painful. They must be quickly medically clarified and treated. This is the only way to avoid serious consequential damage.
Source: Rheumaliga Schweiz, www.rheumaliga.ch
HAUSARZT PRAXIS 2014, 9(7): 8
