Many foot health problems would not be considered serious by the medical profession. Nevertheless they are painful and annoying. A sore foot or sore feet may not drive you to the doctor s office but can put you in a bad frame of mind. And there are several of these annoyances one of which is a bunion. A bunion is a protruding bump on the foot at the base of the great toe. More women tend to have bunions than men probably due to the fact that women wear high heels.
To prevent bunions, always buy comfortable, well fitting shoes and be sure they have plenty of toe room. If you already have a bunion, most drug stores sell pads that, when applied to the bunion, will protect it from further abuse. Bunions that cause severe discomfort can be treated surgically.
Another painful foot problem is a callus. Calluses are thickened areas of skin that may occur on the ball of the foot or on top of a bunion. They usually develop as a result of wearing poorly fitted shoes. High heels often cause calluses as they exert pressure on the ball of the foot. Calluses can be treated at home by massaging them with an over the counter ointment and then rubbing off the dead skin with a pumice stone. If this is ineffective, a podiatrist can remove the callus chemically or with surgery. A corn is basically the same as a callus but just smaller. They also develop from wearing new or ill fitting shoes. Drug stores sell a cushioned patch with a hole that can be placed over the corn and protect it from further pressure while it heals. A wart is a lump on the skin that is caused by a virus. The wart that tends to develop on the foot is a common wart or a plantar wart. Several of these can appear on the foot and can make walking very uncomfortable. There are many home remedies for warts but perhaps the most effective remedies are over the counter preparations available in any pharmacy.
If warts do not respond to home treatment, physicians can prescribe stronger treatments. But if this fails, a podiatrist can remove the warts from the foot by three ways. They can be burned off with electricity, frozen with liquid nitrogen or scraped off. Another irritating condition is athlete s foot. This is a fungus that grows on the skin between and under the toes. It is very common and it is contagious. It usually develops as a result of using public showers in gyms.
Athlete s foot can be treated by over the counter anti fungal powders and creams. It is important to keep feet dry at all times. So one should dry the feet thoroughly and carefully following a bath or shower. It is also important to wear absorbent socks and change socks daily. Cotton socks are preferable to synthetic fibers Wear shoes such as sandals that permit air to circulate around the feet. However, if all of these measures prove ineffective then a doctor s help will be needed.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")