How Aging Affects Your Feet and Ankles

Your feet and ankles absorb a lot of stress and pressure over the course of your lifetime. It’s to be expected that you will experience more problems as you get older including toe deformities, tendonitis, and injuries like ankle sprains.

Some of the many other effects of aging on the feet and ankles include the following:

  • Decreased balance and coordination—Peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, primarily affects people diagnosed with diabetes and is characterized by decreased sense of feeling in the extremities especially in the feet and ankles. This can lead to poor balance and an increase in falls and injuries.
  • More frequent skin and toenail problems—Your skin tends to dry out more as you get older with a corresponding increase in calluses and corns. Developing heel calluses or splitting heel fissures can cause extreme pain and lead to infections. Fungal toenail and ingrown toenail problems are also more likely.
  • Arthritic conditions—Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types and often strikes the big toe, middle foot, and ankle joints causing severe stiffness and mobility issues. Gouty arthritis often affects the joints of the big toe when even just brushing a sheet over your toes can cause severe pain.

For all your foot and ankle problems, see your foot doctor for the proper diagnosis and treatment. Contact the foot specialists at ETL Podiatry in Briarwood and Melville, NY, who have unparalleled experience in treating all aspects of foot and ankle problems. Our team of doctors that includes Geoffrey C. Epstein, DPM, Matthew J. Tavroff, DPM, Stuart B. Leon, DPM and Robert J. Leon, DPM is dedicated to serving you with all of the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment, please feel free to contact one of our offices located in Melville, NY (631)-549-8637 and Briarwood, NY (718)-657-8921.

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