The 5-minute foot check for men over 40.

Check both feet. Toenail problems are common and treatable. Most men just don't know what they're looking at.

• Nails are thick, yellowed, white, or brittle
• Nails crumble or break easily at the edges
• One or more nails are lifting away from the nail bed
• Any nail has dark spots or streaks under it
• Big toenail curves into the skin at the sides
• Nails are growing unevenly or in a curved shape
• There is pain, redness, or discharge around any nail

How to read this: 3+ checks likely points to fungal infection or an ingrown nail. Both are treatable.

Your heels have no oil glands. Cracking isn't a hygiene failure. It's biology. But it is fixable.

• Heels have visible cracks or fissures (even shallow ones)
• Skin on heels or balls of feet is hard, calloused, or rough
• Skin peels between or around toes (athlete's foot pattern)
• There is redness, scaling, or itching between toes
• Heels crack and bleed during dry months or after activity
• Skin on the soles feels tight or pulls when flexing the foot

How to read this: 2+ checks: a daily emollient routine after your shower solves most of this in 2 to 3 weeks.

Foot pain is information. Where it hurts tells you what's causing it.

• Sharp heel pain with the first steps in the morning (then eases)
• Burning or aching in the arch during or after standing
• Ball-of-foot pain when walking or wearing dress shoes
• Any joint in the foot is swollen, red, or warm to touch
• Pain in the big toe joint, especially after rich food or alcohol
• General aching in both feet by end of day

How to read this: Morning heel pain that eases after a few minutes is the classic plantar fasciitis pattern. Big toe swelling with warmth after eating is gout. See a doctor for that one.

Your toes set the foundation. Misalignment doesn't stay in your feet. It travels up to your knees, hips, and lower back.

• Big toe leans toward the second toe (early bunion formation)
• Lesser toes (2nd to 4th) curl downward when you relax your foot
• You have corns or calluses on the tops of bent toes
• You feel stiffness or limited movement in your big toe joint
• Your feet turn outward when you walk (duck-footed gait)

How to read this: Alignment issues compound over years. Toe spreader exercises and footwear changes early can slow or reverse drift.

The most upstream variable. Most foot problems trace back here.

• Toes feel compressed when shoes are laced or buckled
• Haven't had feet measured in the last 5 years
• Shoe width pinches the widest part of your foot
• Your heel slips out of the back when you walk
• You wear the same size you've worn since your 20s

How to read this: Feet change shape and size as you age. If you haven't been measured in a few years, you probably aren't in the right size.