Nailing the problem
Beware those suspicious-looking toenails. You could be suffering from fungal nail infection.

With an average person taking between 5,000 and 8,000 steps a day, it's not surprising that many people develop painful foot problems. Especially women who wear high heels--they are four times more likely to develop foot problems as men are.

In summer most of us go to gyms, public swimming pools, showers and saunas, and the risk of picking up a chronic, and sometimes, debilitating, fungal nail condition increases. According to dermatologist Dr. David Wong, many people do not recognize the symptoms of fungal nail infection or mistake them for other skin conditions.

"This is a concern, because if an infection is left untreated, it will continue to extend and spread to other nails. It is also readily transmissible from person to person."

Fungal nail infection, known to doctors as onychomycosis, causes thickening, roughness and often splitting of the nail. The nail may become discolored (turn white, yellow or brown), become very thick and separate from the nail bed. The toenail may also crumble. It is caused by the fungus spreading under the toenail into the nail bed.

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The fungus can be picked up by walking barefoot in public changing rooms, pools and showers or as part of an athlete's foot infection. Anywhere warm and moist where many people walk barefoot is an ideal environment for the fungus to spread from person to person. The fungus can gain entry under the nail via a broken, closely cut or ingrown toenail.

Someone who is very mindful of this condition and the importance of keeping his feet in top shape is ultra-marathon runner, Pat Farmer. During his Centenary of Federation run around Australia, he ran for 191 days averaging almost 80 kilometers a day and using 14 pairs of shoes.

"No one is on their feet more than me, so I have to take very good care of them," says Farmer. "My way of thinking is that you should treat your feet like your face-look at them daily and treat them well."

"I've been in showers all around the world, many of which have been very unhygienic. I always make sure I wear sandals or thongs to protect my feet as much as possible from picking up a fungal nail infection. Once out of the shower, I always dry my feet thoroughly. Using powder also helps to keep my feet dry."

Wong says people involved in sporting activities are at an increased risk of getting a fungal nail infection because they are at greater risk of traumatizing their nails, which provides an opening for infections to get under the toenail.

If you have any of the following foot problems, visit your doctor or podiatrist for advice: