“I never thought about my feet until they started to hurt. And since then, they haven’t let me forget them.”
Meet Joan Aragone- a teacher and journalist out of California who, until recently, paid no attention to her feet. Joan writes a weekly column on aging health issues for the San Mateo County Times and was inspired to write this article after her feet gave a painful warning sign she couldn’t ignore.
“Among the physical changes associated with aging, such as wrinkly skin, sagging chins, graying hair and body fat that seems to drift south no matter what we do, nuances in the foot department get short shrift.
Feet are just, well, feet. We don’t see them when we look in the mirror. And unless we’re wearing sandals, hardly anybody else sees them either.
But on one of those important milestone birthdays, my feet decided to let me know they wanted some respect.
Without warning, while on a walk during a celebratory trip, those two stalwart drudges of transportation began to radiate something new: pain. Decades of carrying me over hard pavement, dirt trails or burning sand, of being encased in non-breathable nylons or strangled in high-heeled or narrow designs had taken a toll.
“Hey,” was the message.
“Pay attention.”
That evening, I realized they had changed. Were those my feet? They looked like somebody else’s, maybe my mother’s. Perhaps that odd protrusion had developed gradually. But by the time I noticed, it felt sudden. And what was that sore spot?
That birthday walk was a turning point: feet joined my list of “body parts needing regular attention.” I visited the “footcare” department at the drug store, investing eventually in toe separators, heel cushions, corn removers, shoe liners, foot creams. I asked friends, I went online. But the pains continued.
Finally, I consulted a podiatrist, who confirmed the bump was a bunion and the sore spot a corn. Yes, over time ligaments loosen, muscles sag, feet widen and flatten and the fat padding on the sole of the foot wears down. It was true.
She also recommended surgery.
The second doctor I saw took a different tack. “You don’t need surgery,” he said. No list of products and, because the pains were mild, no medication. Just shoes with arch support and a wide toe box, preferably with laceup tops or straps across the instep. And orthotics—– a term I had never heard before—from any local store to prop my sagging arches.
It worked. The pains and strains are gone, along with any strappy sandals, sling back heels and cute little flats. But that’s a small price to pay.
After years of ignoring their contributions, the least I can do now is be kind to my feet. I hope to be working with them for a long while.”
Joan was inspired to share her story when she experienced an unusual and unexpected feeling in her feet: pain.
“In this anti-aging culture, we’re told how to ignore, camouflage or obliterate signs of physical aging. But few talk about how to prepare for them, especially regarding feet. Who thinks about feet? Until recently, not me. I was unpleasantly surprised on an important birthday to experience foot pain where none had gone before. Diagnosis and treatment solved the problem, but a few years later, different pains arrived. Something was happening to my feet: Along with the rest of me, they were aging. That was a discovery, and for those who had made or would eventually make that same discovery, I wanted to share what I had learned.”
Topeka, Owners of the Foot Solutions in Chester New Jersey, volunteer every year for this event as their way to give back to an organization that has saved many lives, including Judy’s.
Active Aging Contributor Anne Maxfield is the Chief Visionary Officer for 
