Footcare

Standing behind the bar all day is hard on your feet - but Dr Paula Franklin, BUPA's assistant medical director, suggests some ways to keep a spring in your step.

Keeping your feet tucked behind the bar for much of the day is no excuse for neglecting them; in fact, because you stand on them so much, you should give them extra care.

Corns, bunions, hard skin, blisters and other foot ailments plague people whose jobs keep them on their feet. But there are many ways to make life easier.

First, take the weight off your feet when you can. If a stool behind the bar isn't practical, clear a small section of a low shelf and rest one foot at a time while you're standing. Make sure you alternate regularly.

Exercising the feet is vital to keep circulation going and fight off infection. Slip your shoes off and give them a massage when things are quiet - they'll also feel better for it. Of course, you need to make sure you wash your hands afterwards! You should take regular walks round the pub to help your circulation, and you could also try these discrete exercises:

• Circle your feet ten times in each direction, keeping your leg as still as possible
• Consciously straighten your toes and wriggle them around
• Raise, point, then curl your toes for five seconds each, repeated ten times - this is particularly good for toe cramps or hammertoes.

Ensuring that the feet have good support is vital. Ergonomics experts recommend you lay rubber or padded matting on the floor to lessen the impact of your foot hitting as you walk - up to three times your weight with each step. Avoid thin-soled footwear for this reason, and heels because they concentrate the pressure on the ball of the foot. Go for wide heels to spread your weight, and only slightly raised - no higher than 4cm. Women who like the height of a heel would do better going for a platform sole as well, so the foot isn't over-arched.

If comfy shoes just aren't your style, consider padded sole inserts. If you can live with them, try a pair of shoes made by manufacturers such as Scholl, with rubber knobbles in the insoles which will massage and stimulate the feet as you walk.

If hard skin builds up, try and remove it gently with a pumice stone after a bath and moisturise it - hand cream is ideal.

Whatever shoe you choose, if they're too small, or so old they've developed cracks in the lining or soles, your feet may get inflamed and blisters may develop. When you're buying shoes, don't attempt it first thing in the morning as feet tend to spread throughout the day. Late afternoon, or straight after a lunch-time behind the bar is a better time.

Shoes that are too small also put pressure on the nails, which can grow thicker and turn back. Corns, bunions and calluses may also form at pressure points.

Shoes become less supportive as they grow older because the leather or material gives. Also, it's not a good idea to wear the same pair day in, day out. Varying the type of shoe exercises different muscles used to walk (your foot has 19 of them). It will also give any dampness in the shoes time to clear.

The average pair of feet gives off half a pint of perspiration per day - and in the warm conditions of a bar, yours could well exceed that.

Bacteria thrive in such an atmosphere. Keep them at bay by washing your feet daily, drying well - especially between the toes - and dusting them with antifungal powder if you're prone to athlete's foot.

While we're on the basics, don't forget to trim nails straight across, using proper nail scissors. Jagged edges or nails cut down too low cause in-growing toenails. (Tea tree oil is a good general antiseptic for minor problems).

Being a publican is definitely a stand-up job and when you consider the average adult takes more than 18,000 steps a day, you might feel more inclined to take a little more care of those oft taken-for-granted feet.