"Many adults have numb feet because they've never worked on them."

Barcelona"Feet haven't been given the importance they truly deserve because they're a part of the body that's covered up for much of the year," explains pediatric podiatrist Neus Moyà, who, in addition to seeing patients in her office, has long promoted foot health through Instagram, where she has nearly 650,000 followers. She explains that, as a general rule, there's little inclination to go to a podiatrist because for many years they've been labeled as routinely using insoles, especially for children. Moyà, in fact, opened a social media profile to combat this perception of her profession and to spread the word about pediatric podiatry.

The podiatrist explains that both feet and the way they walk explain a little about a person. "There's a physical aspect, obviously, but also an emotional one. There are ways of walking and postures that clearly indicate whether a person may be having a bad time, or whether they're shy or not," she adds.

Foot care should begin in childhood, since, according to Moyà, it's in the first years of life that the process of acquiring walking begins. "Until the age of three or four, it's very important that the nervous system works by receiving stimuli from the ground. With a child, we'll look for a shoe that simulates being barefoot for as long as possible. And with stimuli," she explains. In this sense, she advocates what is called respectful footwear. "It's footwear that simulates the child's gait as if they were barefoot, that neither harms nor benefits them, and that respects the shape and function of the foot," she states.

For adults, once they've mastered walking, "it's great to walk barefoot, on different textures: sand, the beach, gravel." "Many adults who have never been to a podiatrist and have worn conventional footwear have numb feet, which means they haven't worked on them their entire lives. They tell you they don't have any symptoms, but then they explain that there are things they can't do, like walking on the beach. If your foot hurts when you exercise, that's damage. The foot can be rehabilitated," she adds.

The type of shoes we wear influences our health. In this sense, women are the most affected by fashion and aesthetic pressure. "To people who put aesthetics above all else, I would say that just as they take their diet into account, they should also take their footwear into account. It's typical that at first you don't see the consequences. But when they appear, the most common phrase from adult patients in the office is: "We don't think about our feet until they hurt." The podiatrist assures that due to the overuse of high heels, there are pathologies that are practically feminine, like Morton's neuroma, the injury suffered by Queen Letizia.

While some people always wear heels, others always wear sneakers. "In recent years, it's become fashionable to adapt running shoes for everyday use. They're shoes with a very cushioned sole, higher at the back than the front," he concludes.