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5 Most Common Foot Problems (and How To Treat Them)

• Posted by Amelia Grant February 15, 2021 Filed in Arts & Culture #health  #Foot Problems  204 views
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  The foot is an extremely strong structure, fit for handling hundreds of pounds of during your daily walking. However, the load of holding your whole body’s weight accumulates over the years and puts your feet at increased risk of injury. Numerous foot problems like hammertoes, blisters, bunions, etc, can occur due to poor foot care, uncomfortable shoes, and daily wear and tear.

  Keep on reading to discover the five most common foot problems and how to treat them.

  1. Athlete’s foot
  Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that affects the skin on your feet. This disease mainly occurs in the spaces between the toes and on the soles of the feet. It causes skin inflammation, leading to a white, flaky rash and redness. To prevent and manage an athlete's foot, try to clean and properly dry your feet, change your footwear and socks regularly, and avoid walking barefoot in public places. Over-the-counter antifungal liquids or sprays can also help manage this condition. If these remedies fail to treat the infection, consult a doctor about prescription-strength medications.

  2. Hammertoes
  A hammertoe is a deformity of ligaments and joints of the second, third and fourth, and fifth toe. This condition causes your toes to bend in the middle of the toe joint. Injuries, certain diseases, uncomfortable shoes, and aging contribute to the development of hammertoes. A specialist may recommend you to wear shoes with more room and low heels, doing stretching exercises, and using over-the-counter corn pads and foot straps. In some cases, a doctor may perform cortisone injections to alleviate the pain. If your hammertoes are severely painful, consider undergoing hammertoe surgery to fix deformed tendons, joints, and bones.

  3. Bunions
  A bunion is a bony bump that forms on the joint that connects your big toe to the foot. A bump occurs when your big toe bends inward towards the smaller toes. The main causes of bunions include foot strain, injury, inherited foot structure, arthritis, and ill-fitting shoes. Nonsurgical treatment of bunions includes wearing wider shoes with padded soles, foot taping, and over-the-counter pain medications. If conservative methods fail to alleviate pain and discomfort while walking, you might need surgery to correct the position of the big toe. 

  4. Plantar fasciitis
  Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition in which the thick ligament that connects your heel to your toes gets inflamed and strained. Plantar fasciitis symptoms include pain at the bottom of the feet, which gets worse after activity or resting, and inability to raise the toes off the floor. High arches, obesity, and flat feet can put you at higher risk of experiencing plantar fasciitis. Ways to treat inflamed plantar fascia include rest, cold compression therapy, and anti-inflammatory drugs. If non-invasive treatments fail to provide desired results, a doctor may suggest an extracorporeal shock wave therapy to promote healing within the ligament. 

  5. Toenail Fungus
  Toenail fungus is an infection that can lead to nail discoloration and deformation.

  Bacteria can get into minor sores in your toes, disrupting the nail-skin junction. Diabetes, blood circulation problems, weakened immune system, and walking barefoot in public places can make you more vulnerable to toenail fungus. 

  Because other infections can affect nails and imitate the symptoms of this condition, the only way to confirm that you have a toenail fungus is to visit a medical specialist. A specialist may suggest antifungal medications like terbinafine, itraconazole, and fluconazole. You can also use antifungal nail polish and topical solutions. 

  Treating nail fungus is very difficult and there is no guarantee that using typical medications for a long time will help. To prevent fungal infection, try to wash your hands after contacting infected nails, properly dry your feet, and reduce your use of nail polish.