Recognizing and Treating Common Foot Problems
Your feet are an integral part of your everyday life, and as such they experience a lot of wear and tear. In fact, it’s estimated that you’ll likely have walked 75,000 miles by the age of 50.
Because of all this use, chances are you’ll develop several foot problems throughout your life. Keep reading to find out how to identify and treat common foot problems.
Itchy, stinging, and burning feet and toes may be signs of athlete’s foot. This contagious condition appears after you make contact with fungus, usually in wet environments such as locker rooms, public showers, and swimming pools.
You may also experience foot blisters, crumbly toenails, and cracked, dry, and raw skin on your feet.
Treatment
The condition can sometimes be difficult to treat. Start with an over-the-counter (OTC) product. You may need a doctor’s prescription to clear up severe athlete’s foot. Learn more about athlete’s foot.
Raised pockets of fluid on your feet are known as blisters. This painful condition can be caused by walking or standing for long periods of time, wearing ill-fitting shoes, or having sweaty feet.
Treatment
Generally, blisters aren’t a serious condition and can be treated at home. Try to let the blister heal naturally and give yourself relief by applying a bandage over it for comfort. Only drain the blister yourself when necessary and do it with the proper sterile equipment. If you choose to drain a blister, make sure to keep it covered with a bandage and antibiotic ointment as it heals.
Discuss persistent blisters or blisters accompanied by flu-like symptoms with your doctor. Learn more about blisters.
A bump on the side of your big toe may be a bunion. This condition, in which your big toe bends toward your other toes, can make it painful to walk. It may cause inflammation and irritation on your big toe and second toe.
Bunions may be the result of the foot structure you inherited, and tight- or ill-fitting shoes or standing too long may aggravate them.
Treatment
Proper-fitting shoes and OTC pain relievers may be a simple solution to help bunions, or you may need the advice and treatment of your doctor. Learn more about bunions.
Round circles of thickened skin on your toes or the sole of your foot could be corns. Your body forms corns to prevent blistering on your feet, and they’re usually not painful right away.
Hammer toe, bunions, or poor-fitting shoes may be the cause of corns. Over time, corns may become irritated and should be treated.
Treatment
OTC treatments like corn plasters may help relieve pressure on a corn and allow it to heal, or your doctor may recommend surgery to remove it. Learn more about corns.
Plantar fasciitis can cause pain in the bottom of your heel or in the lower part of your middle foot. This happens when the plantar fascia ligament becomes strained because of soft-soled footwear with poor arch support, frequent standing, long-distance running, weight gain, or other foot conditions.
It can develop over time, and pain can range from dull to sharp. You may experience more pain when your feet have been resting for prolonged periods.
Treatment
Home-based treatments for the condition include applying ice, taking anti-inflammatory medications, and stretching the foot daily. Your doctor may be able to ease pain with corticosteroid injections, physical therapy, orthotics, or surgery. Learn more about plantar fasciitis.
Pain, inflammation, or even a bony protrusion at the front of the heel may be symptoms of a heel spur. Heel spurs occur because of a calcium deposit that grows between your heel and arch.
Heel spurs may be diagnosed through the pain you feel in your heel or as a result of another foot condition altogether, such as plantar fasciitis. It may be difficult to diagnose this condition yourself.
Treatment
You should rest your feet, evaluate your footwear, and see your doctor if you experience heel pain. Heel spurs can be treated with cold compresses, medications, physical therapy, and possibly surgery. Learn more about heel spurs.
Claw toe is also known as claw foot. This occurs when your first toe joint points up and the second joint points down.
Claw toe can occur suddenly or may be apparent at birth. The condition may or may not cause pain and discomfort, and it can be a sign of a more serious medical condition like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, or cerebral palsy.
You may never know what causes claw toe, but it’s important for your doctor to diagnose and treat the condition.
Treatment
Treatments include proper shoes, splints, toe exercises, medications, and surgery. Learn more about claw toe.
Mallet or hammer toe results in a curved toe that points down rather than outward. Like many foot conditions, mallet toe can be the result of genetics, footwear that doesn’t fit right, or other foot problems like high arches or bunions. Arthritis or a toe injury may also be the cause of a mallet toe.
This condition may be painful when walking or stretching your foot, and you may not be able to wiggle your toe.
Treatment
Wearing shoes that are the right fit and using OTC foot cushions and pads may help your symptoms. Learn more about mallet toe.