When nail polish is applied it masks the nail and creates a waterproof covering. Water can get in from all edges of the nail polish and create a fungal infection underneath. Sweat from under skin goes through the toenail and gets trapped as the nail polish blocks the moisture from leaving the nail. This can rot the toenail. This can be avoided if you paint your nails and then remove the nail polish the next day try and think of it like putting on make up and taking off later that day.

Nail polish is much harsher than make up so the effects on the toenail are much more severe. The nail polish should really only be used for the special event or during the day or the evening and removed later. Nail polish that stays on for longer is thought to be of better quality. Of course nail polish can look very nice but hygienically it’s actually not the best for the nails.

By removing the nail polish the same day or the next day, it keeps the nails healthy and clean. Of course it’s nice to go for manicures and pedicures. Although everyone likes to keep the nail polish on for as long as possible it’s actually better to remove the next day. If the nails have been tidied and cleaned with a manicure and pedicure, it’s quite easy to paint the nail polish ourselves for a few times until the next professional manicure pedicure clean and tidy-up.

Happy and healthy nails are easily achieved with nail polish when used like make- up. Take it off as soon as you can and enjoy wearing it while it is on.

The 2018 World Cup football has brought light on to the different types of football boots worn by different players.

Football boots can be made out of many different materials. For example, kangaroo skin can make the football boot very flexible in comparison to double strong cow leather hide which can make the football boot stiffer and give better support and protection during tackling.

A striker will want the football boots of extreme flexibility so that the slightest angle of their foot can show through the football boot when striking. The flexibility can help greatly with fast sprinting without any extra added effort that a thicker football boot will provide. A defender will want the thicker cow leather hide football boot style as they will need extra protection as they may be tackling harder to defend their goalkeeper and will want a stronger football boot instead of a super flexible soft football boot which will offer very little foot protection during tackles.

Reducing pressure on the foot can be done using other areas of pressure load from the foot and also using the lower limb to take pressure away from the foot also. The more surface area that can contact a support device such as an orthotic or leg cast, the less impact on the wounded and ulcered area.

For example, if there is an ulcer underneath the foot an orthotic will reduce the pressure in that area let’s say by 5%. This is very good for off-loading an area with a corn. It will stop it growing back from the high intensity of weight in this particular area. If the pressure is too severe in a particular place then there will be a wound or an ulcer. In this case we need to use more skin surface area to reduce the stress on the overloaded area even further. This is when we would implement a total contact cast from the knee to the foot to reduce the pressure on the foot greatly.

We can imagine it like holding a vase if you hold a vase from underneath all the pressure is solely on the bottom of the vase. If you hold the vase at the sides like a total contact cast does on the sides of the shin and calf muscles then the pressure is greatly reduced when you place the vase on the table. Similarly if you hold the lower leg at the sides and front, the pressure on the foot is much reduced. That’s why we use the total contact cast to reduce the stress on the foot. A corn can be reduced by using an orthotic as this will reduce the load by 5%. A wound has to be reduced by minimum 30% pressure using below the knee cast or an air cast.

It is very common in babies and young children to have curling of the fourth toe towards the third toe. This is due to the way that the baby has been positioned in the womb. Not all babies have this condition because the big toe is usually the longest, followed by the second, third, fourth and fifth getting progressively smaller in length.

However, genetically some people have longer second, third toes and sometimes also quite long fourth toes. When the fourth toe is straightened from its curling position it is always the same length as the third toe. Normally the fourth toes is much shorter than the third toe. This causes the fourth toe to be curled when positioned in the womb under the third toe from the nature of the fetal position of the baby in the amniotic sac.

These little adidas children’s trainers are really helpful for parents. The insole that comes with this shoe has a helpful lined area. When the shoe is new the toes should touch the first line. This gives plenty of room for the foot to grow. It can be confusing trying to know what size to buy and how much room for growth to allow. This adidas children’s insole method is extremely helpful.

This orthotic was worn every day for 12 years. The base shell was still perfect but the leather top cover eventually gave up. After recovering and some refurbishment, the orthotic was restored to it’s former glory. Here is the before and after. There was no need to make a new orthotic. Just a simple refurbishment was all that was required.