It might not be the most obvious part of the body that needs medical attention, but as most people in the world know, our feet are very important.

That’s why there is a world-wide month-long appreciation for Foot Health in May, and today Mayor Steve Black officially proclaimed the month of May as Foot Health Month in Timmins.

There was a flag raising at City Hall this morning to kick (no pun intended) off the month of awareness about a body part that often gets overlooked. Patrick Rainville, whose company, Rainville Foot Health was established in Timmins in 1997, says the feet are an important part of our daily life.

“We want everybody to know and understand that there’s something that can be done about foot problems that people sometimes have,” he says.

Rainville says anything from sudden heel pain to mobility issues are among the things plaguing people with foot problems around the world. Ontario has the only school in Canada that trains foot specialists (Universite de Quebec a Trois-Rivieres) and after studying podiatry, Rainville came back to his hometown of Timmins to open Rainville Foot Health.

“Feet are an important part of everybody’s life,” says Rainville. ” And from fashion shoes to work boots, everybody puts on shoes everyday, for the most part. And we want to create awareness that if people are having some issues, that we can help.”

Rainville Foot Health was the first business to bring foot care into a private setting in this area.

“We’ve been in Timmins basically growing the foot care business since 1997,” he says. “And now there are quite a few foot care providers in the area.”

And when asked why Timmins seemed like a good place to setup his business, Rainville replied:

“Anywhere where you find feet is a good place to set up.” He added, “If you see a couple of feet, there’s a business opportunity.”

You can check out Rainville Foot Health here.

And for more information about foot health and World Foot Health Awareness Month, click here.