How To Treat Common Foot Problems Corns, Bunions- Ingrown Toenails

Bunion, ingrown toenails and athlete’s foot are annoying and embarrassing. It’s hard to show off those pretty sandals when you are struggling with foot pain. Here are just some ways to get relief from common foot problems so that you can wear your shoes with confidence. Be pain free and show off those pretty feet.

A Bunion is a bony bump at the base of the big toe, a bunion causes that toe to deviate toward others. It throws the foot bones out of alignment and produces the characteristic bump at the joint’s base. Bunions can be very painful caused by the pressure of arthritis, and may lead to corns.

How to deal with them
Treat the pain with pain relievers, use pads to cover the bunions, buy shoe inserts, or surgery may be an effective option for you.

Avoid wearing high heels and wear roomy shoes for comfort.
Corn and calluses are dead thickened skin that is caused by friction. The thick skin forms to protect the sensitive skin on the foot. These will go away when you reduce the friction of the irritated area. Moleskin pads can eliminate corns and calluses can be trimmed or surgically removed.

Gout is a form of arthritis, gout is characterized by sudden pain, redness, swelling and stiffness. These symptoms usually occur in the large joint of the big toe. Gout can form in the foot, ankle, or knees. It is caused by too much uric acid (UA) in the body, which can form hard crystals in joints. These attacks may last days or weeks.

How to treat Gout
You can treat gout with anti-inflammatory or UA-lowering medication.
A change in your diet may help give you relief too, talk to your doctor.

Plantar warts are tough, horny growths that develop on the soles of the feet. They are contagious, they are caused by a virus entering through broken skin, and often spread via public pools and showers. These warts are harmless and can be left untreated, but in many cases the pain is unbearable. Plantar wart can be treated with topical salicylic acid. In addition, burning, freezing, laser therapy and surgical removal are more aggressive options for more serious cases.

Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that causes itching, burning, blisters, peeling skin and sores. It is mildly contagious and can be passed on by walking on bare floors in locker rooms or pools. The fungi grows in shoes, especially tight one’s when there is no air circulation. This condition can be treated with anti-fungal creams or oral medications for more severe cases.

Fungal nail infection happens when microscopic fungi enters a broken nail and causes them to be brittle, discolored and thick. It will not go away without treatment. This infection can be hard to treat, it can be passed on. It survives in warm and wet places. Topical creams can be used to relieve the fungi and for more serious infections antifungal pill may be prescribe by your doctor.

Hammertoe is when the bone of the toe becomes unbalanced. Some may be prone to hammertoe, wearing tight shoes can put you at risk. When the bone is off balance it makes the joint of the toe bend downward, with toes appearing raised near the foot. Well fitted shoes with enough toe room, shoe supports, and surgery may offer relief.

Ingrown toenail is when the nail has grown in the skin causing pain, swelling, redness and infection. Cutting the nails too short or not straight across, injury to the toenail, and wearing tight shoes are culprits. If your case is mild, soak foot in warm water, keep it clean, and wedge a small piece of cotton under the corner of the ingrown nail and lift off the skin. Minor surgery remove all or part of the nail.

Flatfoot is characterized by the sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with ground. It can be inherited, cause by injury or by rheumatoid arthritis. Flatfoot signs are rare, though weight gain, ill-fitting shoes, or excessive standing may cause pain. You can treat it with foot-strengthening exercises, and shoes with good arch support or orthotics.



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Ingrown Toenails - A Common Affliction

You are walking along and bump your foot into an object causing pain in the toe region. You ignore it initially and continue walking. The pain however does not subside and continues to make its presence felt often subtly at times sharply.

To know what the matter is you pull of your shoe and have a look at the toes. A reddish mark on the side of the big toe draws your attention. Closer inspection reveals a wound developed due to the nail border growing into the skin which has cut into the nail bed beneath.

You decide on a homemade remedy by taking a wad of cotton and swabbing the wound with an antiseptic. You also apply an ice pack on the wound which provides you with some relief. Then you forget all about it.

Some days later the pain again returns. This time you discover that the wound has not only grown in size but also smells along with a reddish watery discharge. It's time to visit the podiatrist and let the foot specialists have a look at it.

What is an Ingrown Toenail?

The podiatrist will check the wound for any signs of pus an indicator of infection. The diagnosis for the toe wound, you will be informed, is due to an ingrown toenail. The condition is referred to as "Onychocryptosis" and "Unguis Incarnates" in medical terminology.

Ingrown toenails are caused due to the nail growing downwards in a curve.

The reasons are

? improperly fitting shoes
? cutting nails too deeply
? an accident like stubbing your toe
? genetic predisposition
? prior bacterial/ fungal infection

Footwear

Improperly fitting shoes in which the toe box is narrow causes crowding around the toes. This causes the skin to buildup over the nails giving rise to ingrown toenails. The condition can also occur on toenails other than the big toe as well as on the hand.

Ideally buy shoes that have about half an inch of space around the toe ends and fit snugly at the sides. A firm grip while walking is as important as avoiding tightly fitting shoes.

Trimming of nails

Another reason is cutting the nails too deeply and in a curve. Over a period of time this leads to the nail edge being buried into the skin which leads to the formation of ingrown toenails. Cut nails in a straight line leaving some part over the nail bed.

Injury

Accidents like stubbing your toe or injury due to an object falling on the toe can also cause ingrown toenails. Also repetitive activities like running on hard surfaces or playing football for long periods also cause damage to the foot and toes.

Treatment

Treatment for ingrown toenails is based on eradicating the infection, if present, and healing the wound. The podiatrist may prescribe an oral antibiotic to eliminate the infection.

Minor surgery may be required in which the nail and surrounding skin tissues are trimmed to facilitate the healing process.

An important aspect to be noted is whether the patient has a prior medical condition like diabetes, poor circulation in the foot or nerve damage. In this case the treatment would be more holistic, based on physiotherapy along with surgery.

Dos and Don'ts

An effective home remedy is to soak the feet in warm water with Epsom salts for up to 30 minutes. Gently massage the side of the afflicted toe nail which provides relief from the pain.

One should not try to cut the nail or surrounding tissue which would lead to further damage and infection.Other things to avoid include cutting a V-shaped notch in the nail which is incorrectly presumed to retard the inward nail growth.

Dr. Linda Dale, board certified podiatrist, writes about various foot conditions and best ways to treat them effectively. For more information about ingrown toenail treatment and to request an appointment at MedFoot podiatric clinic, visit our site at http://www.medfoot.com/

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