The summer is coming. It’s time to check your feet.

For the past few months my feet have been wrapped in socks and slippers – like cave fish, hidden from the light. However, with summer just around the corner, it’s time for them to come out. In preparation, I carefully inspect every inch of my feet to make sure they’re ready to show off to the world.

But when I told Dr. Paul Greenberg, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, that I give my feet a thorough scrub every spring, he told me to step it up. Your feet should be examined daily, he said, because their condition can provide important warning signs about your overall health.

Suddenly swollen feet can point high bloodpressuresaid dr. Kirk Geter, Chief of Podiatry at Howard University Hospital. Swelling can also be a sign of gout or kidney problemsadded dr. Get ready for it, as tingling and numbness may indicate in the feet diabetes.

So every day, you should inspect the bottoms and tops of your feet — as well as between your toes — and wiggle your toes back and forth, said Dr. Getter. Look for cracks in the skin, redness, changes in nail color, numbness, sores that don’t heal and swelling, he said.

“And if something doesn’t feel or look right, you probably need to get it checked out,” he added.

Here are a few summer-specific ways to keep your feet healthy.

Rethink flip flops.

Most slippers provide little to no arch, heel and ankle support, said Dr. Stephanie Wu, professor at Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago. Wearing them can make many foot conditions worse, such as arch pain and plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tight band of tissue on the bottom of the foot.

And if you wear slippers, don’t mow your lawn with them. Emergency room visits with injuries “where people decide to mow their lawn wearing flip flops, trip, and end up having the lawnmower run over their foot” are not uncommon, Dr. Wu said.

Protect your feet from germs.

Exposing our feet in the summer makes them more susceptible to infection, Dr. Wu said. And public swimming areas and locker rooms are filled with microorganisms that thrive in warm, moist areas, she said, causing conditions such as athlete’s foot And plantar warts. She recommended wearing stable waterproof shoes in those areas.

And, as wonderful as a barefoot walk on the beach can be, Dr. Geter (who has removed sea urchin spines and shells from patients’ feet) suggests putting on water shoes.

There is also the issue of hygiene. Even responsible sandal wearers can collect dirt on the bottoms of their feet, said Dr. Geter, so clean your feet with an antibacterial wipe when you get home to kill off pathogens.

Don’t forget the sun cream.

When you apply sunscreen, be sure to lubricate your feet, said Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital. Like skin on the rest of our bodies, she said, the tops of the feet and the soles are prone to sunburn and skin cancer.

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, skin cancer can develop on any part of the feet, also under the toenail. So choose minimal 30 SPF sunscreen and don’t forget to re-apply often when you’re out in the sun.

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