If I Should Step On Your Toes...Just Say Ouch!

Fortunately, most of these falls result in only minor scrapes and bruises, if that. But they can be frightening, and even if there's little physical harm, people sometimes develop a strong fear of falling. Some of those injuries hip fractures especially lead to disability — or worse. Roughly 18, older Americans die each year from injuries sustained during a fall.

Everything from slippery throw rugs to poor lighting to side effects from multiple medications has been implicated as a risk factor for falling. Foot problems and pain get mentioned in the roll call of risk factors, but usually near the end and frequently as an afterthought. The lowly feet have to be capable of handling high-pressure situations. When you're standing still, the force from your body weight is spread fairly evenly.

But when you walk, the force on the heel when it hits the ground is up to about 1 times your body weight. Walk fast, and the force of that impact is even larger.

As the foot rolls forward, the pressure shifts to the outside edge and then, as you start to push off, to the ball of the foot and the toes. Young, spry feet can repeat this thousands of times a day and feel no pain. Older feet may not be so lucky. The feet, like the rest of the body, feel the effects of age. Muscle tissue thins out. The long nerves that supply them don't send electrical messages as efficiently as they once did, so there may be some loss of sensation. Blood is more likely to pool in veins, which causes feet and ankles to swell.

Research has undercut the notion that the fat pads under the heel and the ball of the foot get thinner with age, but the tissue may change in other ways so that it provides less cushioning. Age also tends to bring on structural changes. Arches falter, so there's a tendency for the feet to flatten out. Older toes have a propensity toward curling into "claw toes" because of muscle imbalance. And older people — especially older women — are prone to developing bunions, a misalignment of the bones in the big toe that causes the end of the metatarsal bone at the base of the toe to angle out.

Bunions and claw toes can throw off the foot's biomechanics, creating "hot spots" of extra pressure that can be painful. Hannan, co-director of musculoskeletal research at the Institute for Aging Research, says it's a little misleading to blame aging for foot woes. You could be a hundred years old and have nary a problem. Rather, it's the injuries and chronic diseases diabetes especially that accumulate in old age that can make it a rough time for feet and other body parts, too.

That may be changing. Over the past several years, there's been a surge of research connecting falls to foot pain and perhaps also to common foot problems like bunions and clawed toes. Investigators at the Institute for Aging Research, a research group based at Harvard-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife, a long-term care facility in Boston, have found that foot pain seems to be a bigger factor in indoor falls than in outdoor falls. Other researchers have linked foot pain to a slow gait and poor balance, which is perhaps just what you'd expect. But until recently only a handful of studies have investigated a more direct connection between foot pain and falls, according to Karen Mickle, one of a group of Australian researchers who have conducted many of the more important studies in this area.

The studies that have been done have focused on high-risk groups, not the general "community-dwelling" population of older people. In , Mickle and her colleagues started to fill that gap with a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. They recruited about adults, ages 60 and over, from Sydney and a region south of the city, identified those with foot pain and those without, and followed them for a year. By a sizable margin, the people who fell were more likely to have been bothered by foot pain than the people who didn't fall.

In , another Australian group reported findings in the medical journal BMJ from the first-ever randomized clinical trial testing whether foot care would prevent falls. The study included several hundred older people average age, 74 with foot pain. The foot-care program consisted of exercises see below , inexpensive orthotics, and footwear advice.

Place a large rubber or elastic band around the end of your big toes and gently rotate your feet away from each other with your heels on the ground.

Browse by Topic

This exercise is for people with mild bunions hallux valgus. The goal is to increase the range of motion in the metatarsophalangeal joint affected by the bunion rather than actually correcting the bunion. Place a resistance band — a large stretchy band used for exercises — around the leg of a table. Rotate your ankle so you stretch the band out, away from the table leg. This exercise strengthens the ankle muscles, particularly the tibialis posterior muscle. Pick up small stones or marbles with your toes. This exercise strengthens the muscles that contribute to the tendency for toes to curl in old age.

I consider this utterly rediculous behavior of people being catered to all their lives in a sheltered bubble where they can cherry pick life and hide from the less desirable parts. There is no true happiness without sadness on the flipside of the coin.

There is no true joy in life without the thought that some day sooner or later you will not be around anymore. People having a hizzyfit and lash out when they encounter this fact of life are immature pathetic individuals whom have my deepest sympathy. Here's what I have done and it seems to mend the fences pretty quickly as yes I have stepped on my dog's feet before: OK as soon as it happens, get down on the ground with 'em and gently hold their paw, try and rub it lightly to see how badly you damaged it I had a friend who stepped on her poodles back leg and broke it if the dog or any pet really whimpers real bad they might need to be taken to the vet for an x-ray.

But if it's not too bad, get a warm wet towel and wrap it around the sore paw and gently rub it around a little, all the while talking nice and calmly to them.

After a few minutes of this, they should probably be licking you and letting you know your forgiven and your still buddies. Oh and for gods sake or for the dogs sake don't try and take him outside for a run right after you just stepped on 'em Just a quick note here for people to remember — while you do want to check on your dog after accidentally injuring it and apologize so the dog knows it was simply a clumsy mistake, give your dog a few seconds before doing so.

If you did truly injure your dog and it is in pain, they can react instinctual by lashing out at you because they believe you are causing the pain. I immediately ran up to it to check on it and the dog bit me. It was never an aggressive dog, and as I stated, knew me very well, so it wasn't attacking me because I was a stranger.

It was just injured and its instinctual reaction to me running up to it while it was badly hurt was to defend itself. So don't rush up to your dog after you accidentally injure it and smother it with love and hugs as the combination of the pain and you grabbing all over it even if you're just hugging it may confuse the dog and make it think you are attacking it which could lead to it defending itself by attacking back.

You don't want to confuse your pet and compound the problem by making it think you're being aggressive after hurting it. I am so sorry come here! And they can sense that we are really apologetic and sorry. I am only 49 kg pounds. I have seen dogs that are heavier than I am. I think it would hurt more if they step on me, lol. But my point is, always make sure that you check where you step on and make sure they are not injured, also supervise the pet for a while to see if they are able to use is normally. In any doubt, talk to vet.

As nearly as I can tell, dogs understand the concept of an apology. I then offer a pat or a scratch and check for injury. Everything works out just fine. What convinced me that dogs understand the concept of an apology is watching them roughhouse. It seems reasonable to me that social animals who enjoy rough play would have some mechanism for offering and accepting something like an apology. This is actually an interesting question.

If we stepped on his paw, or accidentally locked him on the wrong side of a door, or some other unintentional slight, he would do this little dance — wiggling, wagging, some vocalization — very energetic and very cute. Once, however, Pazuzu did it when he was offering an apology. He had jumped off a piece of furniture and accidentally landed on top of his brother, Leander, who was reposing, unseen by him, on the floor right underneath him. Dogs will get a lot of information from your tone of voice, but they are geniuses when it comes to reading body language.

If you show regret, the dog knows it was an accident. You only have to watch them play together to see this. A food treat wouldn't hurt. By calling the dog to you, you're making sure that the dog isn't having a retaliation response which could happen if you attempt to touch the dog straightaway. Provided there is no injury, just carry on as normal.

Your dog will probably have forgotten about it already. Thank you for asking me. While dogs don't understand any human language, they definitely perceive kindness, vibrations, and intentions. Dogs are very intuitive. This, perhaps, compensates for their lack of cognitive abilities. I have done the same you, unintentionally did to your pooch; stepping on its pow.

I don't know about kissing her? But I give a gentle kiss to my dog on her head often. Some experts in dog behaviour may argue that dogs won't appreciate this approach. They do, if that is the way the pack of lead has handled such situacion always, when it happens. We, I mean you and I, have the following in common; we love, and are kind to animals. We know that they are sentient beings, which appreciate love and kindness. They feel sad at times. So if one's dog seems to be lacking energy, they may be sad. Give them then, whatever we usually offer them as an expression of affection.

Offer them water…However, if the sadness persists, bring them over to the doctor to rule out any physiological cause. Please, keep been as caring as I know you are, for dogs know who really, trully, love them. May you be happy! I did this once. My pup went and hid under the sofa. When I called her name softly , she ignored me. When I looked under the sofa, she turned her face from me. But she didn't retreat from me. So I took her favorite biscuit snack and gave a small piece to her.

She accepted the peace offering, eating the whole biscuit and even licking my fingers. Then she went out of her hiding place right after I withdrew, even though I have no more biscuit. Dogs don't understand or care about apologies. It sounds cold but if you act all sappy and emotionally contrite your dog will feel unsettled. When you look at any pack of dogs the most dominant will move about freely and the less dominant will make way for that dog. Dogs don't care which one they are in this scenario as long as they know who they are and how to predict the behaviour of those around them.

So act like the dominant one, even if that seems weird. Another thing to consider: If your dog is constantly underfoot enough that you're stepping on its paws then it might mean that it's anxious and always trying to shadow you because it's afraid you'll leave and not come back. Neither scenario is good. Either way, if you step on your dog's paw don't make a fuss at all even the attention you give it after such an accident could be reinforcing the behaviour of being underfoot.

Keep moving to wherever it was you were going and do whatever it was you were going to do. After a bit check quickly but thoroughly to make sure there is no real damage. If there is then obviously give proper veterinary care. Most like there will not be and your dog will already have forgotten the reason you're even looking at its paw in the first place.

If I step on a toe, its usually a knee to the shoulder and Murphy, Moooove! Or a pat on the head and sorry kid, you gotta keep moving! The more you make of it, the bigger deal they think it is. Do you see a mother dog make a big deal out of stepping on a pup? Toughen up and stay away from feet! It breaks ones heart to hear that dreaded sharp yelp of pain from your dog and realizing that you have accidently stepped on its paw or tail.

It happens to the best of us, sometimes you are sleepily walking to the bathroom, or just not looking where you are going. If you do step on the dog, take his paw in your hand and massage it gently while talking to him, pat his head in between and then give him his favorite treat. The most amazing thing about dogs is that they will forgive you in a moment.