When you're young, your feet are able to endure the wear and tear of everyday activities. They have a little spring in their step. But as you age, your feet problems tend to flatten and spread, which can cause pain and discomfort with balance.

The tendons and ligaments in your feet gradually lose strength with age. This makes your feet feel stiffer than they once did. It also leads to an increased risk of injury.

Because your feet lose fat pads as you age, it's not uncommon to develop painful calluses or corns on the bottoms of your feet. You may also notice that your arches flatten over time. These are all common conditions that occur as a result of aging. But they don't have to stop you from enjoying life. With proper care, and treatment you can keep your feet healthy, comfortable, and active as you get older.

What are the physical changes that can occur due to aging and how can you care for aging feet?

Tight Tendons

This tightens the muscles of the calf, making it harder for you to bend your foot downwards or walk on heels. You might even develop abnormally high arches because this tightening pulls the heel bone upwards. As people age, the Achilles tendon in the heel becomes shorter and stiffer due to changes in collagen production. This can result in pain and morning stiffness.

* Treatment

Exercise is one the best ways to improve your collagen in tendons. Try to perform some strengthening exercise that will enable you to stay active and keep the tendons healthy.

Stretched Ligaments and Lost Elasticity

Our ligaments are responsible for helping to support the foot arches, but as you get older, the ligaments begin to stretch and lose their elasticity. This condition is often referred to as "ligament laxity", which can be responsible for a number of foot-related problems including flatfoot and sagging arches, bunions and hammertoes.

* Treatment

Performing Toe curls and marble pickup exercises helps to strengthen your ligaments. Aging starts from the feet upwards, a good massage from upward to downward direction will boost elasticity.

Bone spurs

Small growths called bone spurs may begin to grow on the heels of your feet as you age. These growths can be painful when they rub against skin or other soft tissue or press on a nerve.

* Treatment

Taking Steroid shots allows to bring down swelling and reduce pain in the joints. Also, taking up some kind of Physical therapy improves joint strength.

Essential care for aging feet

As people get older, their feet naturally start to change. The skin becomes thinner and begins to dry out, reducing the protective barrier that keeps moisture in and irritants out.

If you have diabetes, foot care is even more important. High blood sugar can damage nerves in your feet, as well as the small blood vessels that feed your feet.

Here are some essential care points for foot problems

• Do not leave your foot moist, always follow a good dry routine.
• Say no to talcum powder, it will dry out the skin.
• Wear a fresh pair of socks, do not repeat or reuse without washing.
• Use the good moisturizer so as to keep your foot hydrated
• Minimize the use of slippers and wear some good quality footwear.