Drink lots of water…Quit smoking…Eat five fruits and vegetables a day…Get regular check-ups…Exercise at least three times a week.

These are all important health tips that you’ve probably heard dozens if not hundreds of times throughout your life. But, do you normally hear "Check your feet regularly?" in that mix? If the answer is no, which it more than likely is, you may be uninformed about one of the most essential aspects of achieving overall health - healthy feet - that will support you the rest of your lives.

Feet are barometers of overall health and are often the first place that warning signs of circulatory disorders, diabetes, arthritis and other systemic diseases are detected. The human foot is a biological masterpiece. It is complex, containing within its relatively small size 26 bones (the two feet contain a quarter of all the bones in the body), 33 joints and a network of more than 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments.

Podiatrist Terence Pedersen, DPM

Dr. Terence Pedersen is a board-certified podiatrist specializing in foot and ankle surgery, diabetic foot care and the medical and surgical care of the foot and ankle.

His practice, Yankton Foot and Ankle Center/Avera, is located on the second floor of the Avera Sacred Heart Rehabilitation and Wellness Institute on the campus of Avera Sacred Heart Hospital.

To schedule appointments, call 605-668-8601, or toll-free 1-877-256-8973. Dr. Pedersen also sees patients in Vermillion, SD, and Hartington, NE.

Dr. Pedersen is board certified in foot surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. He is also a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.