Vitals & Voices

Healthy Feet, Healthy Life: Why Foot Health Matters

• Lexington Regional Health Center • Season 2 • Episode 17

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In this episode of Vitals & Voices, we sit down with podiatrist Dr. Joshua Wray to highlight National Foot Health Awareness Month and explore why foot health plays a much bigger role in overall wellness than most people realize. Dr. Wray shares how our feet often provide early warning signs of deeper health issues, why foot pain should never be ignored, and how simple daily habits can prevent long‑term complications.
From diabetes-related foot concerns to common issues like heel pain and plantar fasciitis, this conversation breaks down what’s normal, what’s not, and when it’s time to seek care. Whether you’re always on your feet, managing a chronic condition, or brushing off lingering pain, this episode offers practical insight to help keep you moving comfortably and safely.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Why foot health is essential to whole‑body health
  • Common foot problems and warning signs you shouldn’t ignore
  • How diabetes and neuropathy affect the feet
  • Simple daily habits to protect your foot health
  • When to see a podiatrist and why early care matters


Why This Episode Matters:
Foot pain isn’t just an inconvenience, it can be an early signal of larger health concerns and, if left untreated, may lead to serious complications over time. The good news? Many foot and ankle issues are highly treatable, especially when addressed early. By paying attention to your feet and taking proactive steps, you can stay active, avoid long‑term problems, and protect your overall health.
If foot pain is slowing you down—or you’ve been putting off care—this episode is a timely reminder that your feet carry you through life, and they deserve attention every step of the way.

Vitals & Voices is a podcast powered by Lexington Regional Health Center, offering meaningful health conversations that matter to you. Each episode features authentic stories and expert insights from the people behind the care — including healthcare professionals, wellness advocates, community leaders, and patients — all aimed at helping you live your healthiest, most informed life.

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SPEAKER_01

Welcome to Vitals and Voices, brought to you by Lexington Regional Health Center. Your community, your health, your care. This is your trusted source for health-related content that matters to you. Each episode, we will bring you real conversations with the voices behind the care, from medical experts and wellness champions to community leaders and patients, sharing insights, stories, and tips to help you live your healthiest life. Whether you're tuning in from Lexington or beyond, we're here to inform, inspire, and connect. Because at LRHC, your health is our priority and your voice matters. Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's episode of Vitals and Voices. April is National Foot Health Awareness Month, and today we're focusing on something that quite literally supports everything we do, our feet. Joining us today is Dr. Joshua Ray. He is a visiting specialist podiatrist from Great Plains Foot and Ankle Specialist, and he visits Lexington Regional Health Center weekly. Dr. Ray, thanks so much for being here.

SPEAKER_00

It's great to be with you.

SPEAKER_01

So, Dr. Ray, for listeners who may not be familiar with the term podiatry, what drew you into foot and ankle care and what what do you see in this practice?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Uh so what drew me into foot and ankle care was the uh you know big variety. You know, people think, oh, how do you I get asked almost daily, why did you choose feet? Why, you know, why feet are so gross, feet are, you know, they're um it's you know, at first you think, oh, it's just basic. It's you know, feet. It's just like what can go wrong with your feet, but you realize that the foot is a very complex and and uh you know designed uh part of our body that has, you know, 28 bones, multiple joints, lots of ligaments, tendons, uh muscles that that help that foot function. And, you know, if you think about it, you know, if you break your arm, most of the time you can get by, you can still eat, you can still dress yourself, shower, and do that thing. But if you have to be non-weight bearing or you lose function of a foot or things like that, it really impacts your life. And if you can't walk, a lot of the rest of your health goes down. Your heart and lungs aren't as healthy and things like that. So um, you know, I I wanted to be a veterinarian at first. That was what I thought I wanted to be. And uh one day somebody said, go shadow podiatrist. And I said, No, thank you. That's that's foot, that's not there. But I did just to kind of humor my mentor. Um, and I went and uh shadow podiatrist, and every room was different. Like you walk into the treatment room, and it was just the variety, and I was just like, whoa, this is this is interesting. And so that's what really drew me to it. And so typical week, uh looks like me. I I love the mix of there's a lot of clinic and then there's surgery. Um, and so you know, I I uh you know, treat patients with any you know foot an ankle conditions below the knee. And then if they, you know, fail conservative care, then they they need surgery, and so that we will do surgery a few days a week.

SPEAKER_01

I love that. I I think most people, yeah, wouldn't think about that variety or just, yeah, if you're if your feet aren't working, a lot of a lot of other things in your body might not be working either. So so with I know that you travel to various places and we're so thankful you come to Lex. How does that perspective shape the advice you give to patients who are also always on the go and and how busy they might be?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I just, you know, biggest thing I want to do is help people be more comfortable or more stable on their feet. And and uh, you know, again, there's a lot of things that can go wrong. And and you know, we've all probably had something wrong with our foot that, you know, affected our ability to stand or to perform a job for, you know, maybe a short time and some for even a longer time. And so I I like traveling to, you know, where patients are at to, you know, one, um, you know, save them the trip of traveling to a bigger city, but also to just you know see in their environment of you know what they need to do, you know. I I go to a few places that are in really, you know, ranching or farming type communities and um, you know, see a lot of those and you see them come in in their cowby boots or whatever, and you say, you know, hey, how how can I make you better in there? And sometimes, sometimes they can't wear cowby boots anymore or things like that. But it, you know, we try to try to keep them going.

SPEAKER_01

So I love that. So with April being National Foot Health Awareness Month, something that was a little bit newer to me, but so important. You talked about this a little bit, but why do you think foot health gets overlooked?

SPEAKER_00

I think because it's it's the farthest place from our from our eyes, it's the farthest place from our our brain. And and so, you know, it just um, you know, people don't other people don't really see our feet, and and so those things we just kind of think, oh, it'll get better, it'll get better. It should, and a lot of times it doesn't get better. And so, you know, I think we we overlook simple things as like skin conditions or even uh you know circulatory conditions as we get older. Um, you know, we deal a lot with diabetes, and diabetes a lot of times can really start to manifest itself. A few patients over the years, you know, they come in, take their shoes off, and I say, Are you diabetic? And they say no. And I say, Are you sure? Because your foot looks like a diabetic foot. And so we send them for labs and come to find out they're diabetic, diabetic. They didn't really have start to have signs in you know, other parts of their bodies, you know, there, and um, but you could start to see it in the manifest in their feet. And the feet will tell you a lot of times how your body's doing from a health standpoint, and so you know, checking them daily, um, you know, and I tell everybody you need to take your shoes off every day. I I've I've had especially older patients, sometimes, you know, you uh get busy with life and and you know, hey, I'm you know, don't do that, but don't take their shoes off, and then they really do, and then they have issues. And and wow, um, so looking at your feet once a day is is uh to me important, especially if you have something like diabetes or neuropathy and really can't feel your feet, you know, checking them just to to make sure they they look healthy, the color looks good, or there's no, you know, cracks in your feet, or you know, things like that.

SPEAKER_01

So with diabetes, I feel like I've heard if you I mean, especially if you can't feel it, is there a possibility to lose toes?

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yeah, no loose toes and even your feet. Um, the biggest uh podiatry, I think, uh, of the essence is is, you know, helping prevent amputations and um you know, prevent those things that can happen. And so especially if you're diabetic, I tell them they need to check their feet four or five times a day because a new pair of shoes or even a different, maybe a different task at work, like, oh, you know, I I went from we lost somebody at work and so now I need to, you know, I'm out on the floor doing something more for my job, or, you know, hey, I took a new position and now they require, you know, it requires climbing the ladder or do some doing something there that just changes how the pressure hits your feet, and things can happen with diabetes. And because you have what's called neuropathy, which means nerve damage, and so the first thing we start to lose is the ability to feel and we get numbness, we don't notice. It might just be a blister, but a blister for a diabetic is different than a blister for you know somebody who's not diabetic.

SPEAKER_01

And so when you suggest for people to check over their feet, what are they looking for? Is it blisters?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, just blisters, cuts, um, changes in skin color, um, areas that are swollen, um, you know, just any any kind of thing, dry, you know, excessively dry skin, a callus, you know, um, those kind of things there, you know, calluses in and of themselves really aren't painful, but they can become painful. And in a diabetic, a callus very likely can turn into an ulcer or a wound in their foot.

SPEAKER_01

Um, because you mentioned wound, talk to us just a little bit about, I know that our wound care team is really integrated with your clinic as well, too, of just they're gonna come see you, but if wound care is needed, we we have that specialty here, too.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So I'll, you know, I go, I travel to a few different hospitals and um even in compared to some of my training in residency in like New Jersey and bigger cities, I think Lexington Hospital has the one of the better wound care centers of just fully integrating because wound care isn't just about uh your skin or getting your skin to heal. It involves circulation. So we might need to involve a cardiologist or a vascular doctor. It involves sometimes infection, and we might need to involve an infectious disease. It involves taking care of our diabetes if we're diabetic. And so that involves our primary care or endocinology. It really brings not just like when you look at a wound, it isn't just like, okay, we need to get the skin to heal. It's why do we have a wound? Maybe it's pressure relief. So we would involve somebody like a pedorth who can make uh you know diabetic shoes or a brace or something to help offload that. Um, and so I I just think Lexington does a very good job of of integrating that. They've really put a um emphasis on bringing that and having that opportunity there. And and and they uh the wound care center here, we we get good results of getting people to heal. Um, whereas, you know, in a small town like this, I think that's something that's not uh, you know, that is really unrivaled in some of the other places I go to.

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. Oh, that's great to hear. Um, so when people ignore foot pain, we talked a little bit about, you know, kind of if you, especially if you have diabetes, are there other health conditions or things that might really be harmful if people aren't taking care of their feet?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think a lot of times, you know, I mean, everybody's had a little foot sprain or, you know, we twisted our ankle or something like that. And I usually tell people most of that'll go away in two to three weeks. But if it doesn't go away, you need to get checked out because what might just be a little foot sprain, you could have stretched the ligament out. And because the ligaments stretch out, it's not holding the joint as well. And so over time, that ligament can just allow too much motion, and that's how things like arthritis develop or um you know, other things, or like a little skin condition that could you know easily be corrected with just a little topical steroid cream or something to that effect, can turn into something else, and then it's like, hey, this is you know, almost beyond this, and then it's like, well, the treatments are are pretty um um, they've got a lot of side effects and things like that. And so at some time point it's like, well, the side effects are worse than, you know, and and you've got other disease processes or something that might affect that and everything. So I I think a good, you know, something going wrong if it doesn't go away in two, three weeks, you need to see a podiatrist.

SPEAKER_01

Aaron Powell What are some of those common conditions that people come in with that that they're complaining about?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we see a lot of um, you know, a lot of people just diabetes and just saying, hey, I've I'm I'm diabetic, I've got, you know, skin color changes there. And so I think a diabetic should be seen uh two to four times a year, just depending on kind of the severity of their diabetes and things like that. Um, if you have neuropathy and are not diabetic, I think um that is so severe. Those the people that I see that are have neuropathy, they almost get worse things than diabetes because I think that they think, oh, I don't have diabetes, I don't have heart disease, I don't have some of these other things, but I just have neuropathy. But I have some of the patients that are worse we've had to treat some of the most complex conditions because of just the neuropathy and and what that can lead to. Um we see a lot of patients with heel pain. You know, probably 20 20% of our practices deals with heel pain. And and uh generally that's you know, plantar fasciitis or maybe a heel spur. But that planner fascia is a really important structure in the bottom of your foot that kind of um, you know, every time you you heel strike or every time you take a step, that is what we do called shock absorption. And so it helps dissipate that shock. 85% of your weight comes through your foot when you take a step. So, you know, if you're 200 pounds, that's 170 pounds coming through that that foot. Whereas the knee only takes about 50% of that. It never takes more than about 50%. And so, you know, if that fascia becomes compromised and too long, it can lead to sometimes lead to a flattening of your foot. It can lead to, you know, other problems. And so, you know, again, it's there for two or three weeks, goes away. You know, you stretch, get good shoes, take some ioprofen, it goes away. Great. I think you've found what there. But let's say it comes back in in two years and it doesn't go away. Now it's two or three months, you know, getting in quicker, the treatments usually are more conservative and they work faster and go from there.

SPEAKER_01

I feel like I've heard that term quite a bit, but that's very interesting to know. Just that relationship with the heel and how that that might be a really common condition that people would have. Um for someone who's listening right now, what are three simple things they can start doing today to take better care of their feet?

SPEAKER_00

I think we said before number one thing is check your feet every day.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um, and don't don't delay something if it's not there. Uh, and probably right along with number one is number two is just good shoes, like meaning, you know No heels? Uh occasionally, you know. But I think 80, I tell people it's a rule of 80%. So if you wear good shoes 80% of the time, you can wear whatever you want on the weekends, you know, Monday through Friday, you know, you're working a job, you go to school. Um, you know, most of the time patients and people need good shoes. They need to support their feeds. Um, and then they can wear whatever they want to the lake, or they can wear heels out on Friday, Saturday nights, you know, that kind of thing. Um, there. And then uh just the other thing is just just good health. I mean, be active, eat right, you know, uh no smoking. Um, and if you do, you know, if you do get something like diabetes or uh high blood pressure or anything like that, you know, do your best to to do what your doctor says and can you know control those and and most of the time you'll be be fine. I tell people, you know, you can get a really bad diagnosis of diabetes, and if you'll do everything you're supposed to do, 80% of the time you'll be fine. You'll get a little bit here and there, but you're not gonna get the bad, the big things of like an amputation or, you know, there. There's I think 10 to 20% of patients, they can do everything right, and it's still the disease process will just progress pretty quickly and things like that. But if we if we do what we're we know to be right, follow good health tips, follow what our primary care doctors say, we should be fine.

SPEAKER_01

That's good to know. So let's do a quick myth uh myth busters here. So I'll stay a statement and you can tell me if it's true or false. Provide any context should you need it. Um, foot pain is just a normal part of getting older.

SPEAKER_00

Uh myth. Um Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh you only need a podiatrist if you're an athlete, a super person who works out all the time.

SPEAKER_00

Uh false.

SPEAKER_01

Um if you can walk on it, I you're probably fine.

SPEAKER_00

Um again, if that doesn't go away in you know two weeks or whatever, uh, then there's something going on. And, you know, I like I had a patient yesterday who, yeah, she sprained her ankle a year ago and says, now I now I can't even walk on it every day. Well, what happened is she tore her uh tendon and a ligament and it's allowed the bone to drop. And so now she has this huge callus that is now painful. And so now she's gonna need, you know, a reconstructive surgery to move that bone around. And um, whereas if she would have come in when right when that happened, we could have probably said, Hey, let's put you into a a uh, you know, cam boot or a surgical boot, have you walk around for four to six weeks, and things would have just kind of held in position and healed, and she probably wouldn't have had any, you know, anything long term, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Dr. A, what did we not hit on? What else do you want our listeners to know? I know I've learned a lot.

SPEAKER_00

Um no, I think I think we've kind of you know encompassed all that you know, foot and ankle care and podiatry is about. Uh I think again, just uh you know, again, just again with any condition that this does not go away, it's seek help. And uh, you know, earlier help is usually conservative and and will keep us from having more uh complex problems.

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here today. And everyone, go go ahead and celebrate Foot Health Awareness Month because it's important to us all. Um so great advice here, Dr. Ray. Thank you for sharing your expertise for fitting us into your busy schedule. And to our listeners, if foot pain is slowing you down, do not ignore it. I think we've learned that today in our podcast. Your feet carry you through life, so make sure to take care of them. And until next time, stay well.