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Toenail Fungus – Can Be Embarrassing – Seek Help
Do you suffer from a strange odor coming from your feet and more specifically your toes?
Could your foot odor be something more than athlete’s foot? Breathe a sigh of relief the condition may be one called toenail fungus.
Toenail fungus is also called onychomycosis, and is a common condition that destroys the toenail.
Fungal infection in the toenail can be difficult to cure. Fungus thrives in the dark and having your feet in shoes that are closed toe can also allow fungus to begin in your toes. Toenail fungus grows in the nail bed, where the toenail meets the skin.
When you are experiencing symptoms such as a discolored nail color such as a yellow or brown color, foul smell coming from under the toenail, on the side and tip of toenail and pain in the toe, you are likely to have a fungal infection. You will often begin to notice your toes can become painful when wearing closed toe shoes because the toenail has become so thick.
Toenail fungus can be cured but is difficult to cure if left untreated. It is recommended that you seek the care of your primary care physician or podiatrist immediately to prevent losing your toenail. Toenail fungus grows slowly and is not contagious.
Anti-Fungal medications usually suppress the infection when taken as directed by your doctor. Anti-fungal creams to the nail can be effective in the early stages of a toenail fungus but if you have left the fungus untreated then the anti-fungal cream might not be able to reach the nail bed.
Your primary care physician or podiatrist might recommend that you keep the hygiene of your feet in good condition, keep your feet dry, and avoid closed toe shoes made of synthetic materials so that your feet and toes can breathe. Treatment may begin with your doctor removing a portion of the infected area with clippers or dissolve the infected area by bifonazole.
If the infection is a relatively small area your doctor may prescribe medicated nail polish containing amorolfine. Use as directed by your doctor, however, the nail polish is normally applied twice a week until the nail is free from infection or fungus. If the infection has spread into a larger area or onto several nails, your doctor may prescribe anti-fungal medications and oral medications that will need to be taken consistently over three months in order to ultimately rid yourself completely of the toenail fungus.
People might not want to admit they have a toenail fungus because it can be embarrassing but seek treatment immediately. Don’t allow the fungus to over take your feet!
Plantars Wart
A Plantars wart is a tough, horny growth that develops on the balls or heels of your feet.
The Plantars wart grows inward and can be tender and cause foot pain. The portion of the wart under the skin is at least twice the size as the part you can see. Many times you will see a small black pinpoint in the wart on the bottom of your foot. This is actually clotted blood vessels and not wart seeds that many people tend to believe.
Plantars wart is caused by the human papilloma virus and can be contagious. You can contract this virus by walking on contaminated surfaces such as public locker room floors, public showers and swimming pools.
There are many different over the counter treatments that you can utilize to treat plantars wart. One type of treatment is salicylic acid. Dr. Scholl’s Clear Away Plantar for example is a 40 percent salicylic acid solution that is applied to the wart once or twice a day. This solution peels off the infected skin a little bit at a time. This can take up to 3 to 4 weeks. The key to this product working is the consistency in using it each and every day.
Crazy as it sounds duct tape is another treatment for plantars wart. With this treatment, the plantars wart is covered in duct tape for six days, then soaked in water and gently rubbed with an emery board. This may take up to two months for the wart to go away. Again, consistency in the use of this treatment is the key to its success. Duct tape for plantars wart can be a treatment alternative for children who may be frightened of other treatments.
One of the most common treatments for plantars wart is freezing (cryotherapy). With this treatment the doctor will apply liquid nitrogen with a spray canister or q-tip. The nitrogen causes a blister to form around the wart causing the dead skin to fall off within a week. This type of treatment may require trips to your doctor every two to four weeks and can cause slight to moderate pain.
If your plantars warts do not respond to these treatments, more aggressive measures such as minor surgery, laser treatments or immunotherapy many be taken.
To reduce your risk of plantars wart, do not go barefoot in public areas, keep feet clean and dry, avoid direct contact with wart and do not pick at wart.
Most plantars warts are not a serious health concern. However, they can be bothersome and painful and can impact your quality of life. If every step you take is painful, then that is a problem and should be treated. It is important to see your medical doctor who can accurately diagnose and appropriately treat plantars wart.
Plantar fasciitis Treatment – Stopping the Pain
Plantar fasciitis treatment is very effective in treating heel pain due to having plantar fasciitis.
In order to treat plantar fasciitis it is important to understand the meaning of plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis occurs when the long, flat ligament on the bottom of the foot (plantar fascia) stretches irregularly and develops small tears that cause the ligament to become inflamed.
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of severe heel pain. It is important to start treatment soon after your symptoms begin.
Plantar fasciitis treatment begins with rest. It is important to keep weight off of your foot until the inflammation goes away. This can be hard for many of us because we are so active; however, rest is a vital element to help relieve pain in the heel. Another treatment to help speed recovery and aid in stopping severe heel pain is to ice your foot for 20 minutes three to four times a day and take an anti-inflammatory drug, medication, etc.
Your doctor will more than likely give you plantar fasciitis exercises as well. This plantar fasciitis treatment consists of stretching and strengthening exercises of the intrinsic foot muscle. Increasing the flexibility of the calf muscle is also particularly important. The stretching techniques most commonly used include: wall stretches, stair stretches, Dynamic stretches such as rolling the foot arch over a tennis ball and towel stretching.
Another plantar fasciitis treatment is night splints. This is recommended for patients who have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Night splints are designed to keep your ankle in a neutral position overnight. This allows passive stretching of the calf and the plantar fascia during sleep. This will help create less tension with the first step in the morning, helping to alleviate pain in the heel of the foot, which is the most painful.
For acute plantar fasciitis and for patients whose symptoms are preventing them from working, Iontophoresis is another form of plantar fasciitis treatment. Iontophoresis is the use of electric impulses from a low-voltage galvanic current stimulation unit to drive topical corticosteroids into soft tissue structures.
It is important to note that if you suffer from plantar fasciitis there is treatment for you. Plantar fasciitis treatment should be started once you have been diagnosed by your medical doctor with plantar fasciitis.
Plantar Fasciitis Exercises Get Back In The Race
Plantar Fascitis exercises have helped me get back into the race.
A couple of years ago after training for a marathon I woke up one morning barely able to walk due to having pain in the heel of my foot. As the day went on the pain seemed to subside a little and walking became a little easier.
However, I still had some pain in the heel. After a trip to my doctor I was diagnosed with plantar fascitis.
My doctor explained to me that the plantar fascia is a long band of fibers that go from the bottom of the heel bone to the beginning of the toes. Given my history of running he told me that I had inflamed the tough, fibrous band of tissue (fascia) connecting my heel bone to my toes.
Seeing the despair in my eyes he quickly told me that there are plantar fascitis exercises that can help speed recovery and prevent recurrence. He then gave me a list of exercises to do for my severe heel pain. He told me that routine stretching is very important to healing plantar fascitis.
Beyond simple routine stretching, another plantar fascitis exercise designed to help heal my plantar fascitis is called the stair stretch. To do this stretch you need to stand on a step on the balls of your feet, hold the rail or wall for balance. Slowly lower the heel of your injured foot below the level of the stair until you feel the arch of your foot stretching. Hold for a count of 10 and repeat 5 to 10 times.
I could really feel the stretch all along the bottom of my foot when I did this exercise.
Frozen can roll is another plantar fascitis exercise. With this you take a frozen can of juice and roll your bare injured foot back and forth from the tip of the toes to the heel of the foot over the frozen juice can. This is a good exercise because not only does it stretch the plantar fascia but also provides cold therapy to the injured area. I think this exercise is my favorite! I love the cold juice can!
Stretching the Achilles tendon is another great plantar fascitis exercise. This requires leaning into a wall.
Place your hands on the wall, palms flat, and about the height of chest level. Place one leg back behind the other leg keeping the back knee straight with the heel on the ground while bending the front knee. While leaning forward, the stretch should be felt in the heel cord and foot of the straight leg. After 10 seconds, straighten up and relax. Repeat this exercise 15-20 times with both legs.
Exercises for heel pain and arch foot support have helped me to reduce my symptoms of plantar fascitis and my severe heel pain. The best part, I am still training for that marathon and without the pain in my heel I had been experiencing. Following my doctor’s advice, to prevent recurrence I do the plantar fascitis exercises on a daily basis.
Plantar Fasciitis
Found most often in women and in people who are overweight, one of the most common causes of pain in the bottom of the heel is plantar fasciitis.
An inflammation of the plantar fascia is called plantar fasciitis (plantar fasciitis). A thick fibrous band running along the bottom of the foot which attaches to the heel and to the ball of the foot is defined as the plantar fascia.
Inflammation can occur anywhere along the plantar fascia, but it most commonly occurs in the heel, at the point where the fibrous band attaches to the heel. It is the inflammation of this fibrous band that causes the pain of plantar fasciitis. Once you have experienced this pain in the foot, it is one thing that you simply will never forget.
The pain of plantar fasciitis is most intense first thing in the morning or even after a period of rest. The first few steps after resting can be quite painful but it does tend to ease a bit after the first few steps.
The pain of plantar fasciitis can be described as sharp, stabbing, or even burning. The pain can be quite intense and can certainly impact your quality of life. Although rest can help to reduce the pain of plantar fasciitis, this is often very difficult to manage.
The pain of plantar fasciitis can be recreated by flexing the toes upward. This movement mimics the same movement that creates tension on the plantar fascia. Repetitive stress on the plantar fascia can cause this ligament to stretch irregularly and ultimately develop small tears. These small tears can lead to inflammation which leads to the pain of plantar fasciitis.
So what can you do about the pain of plantar fasciitis? Anti-inflammatory medications, rest, ice, shoe orthotics, stretching exercises and splinting at night can all be very useful to help relieve some of the pain.
The most important thing to remember is that regardless of the treatment you seek, you must seek treatment for the pain of plantar fasciitis. If left untreated, plantar fasciitis can worsen and can ultimately lead to the development of heel spurs, which may require surgical intervention.
Plantar fasciitis can definitely impact your quality of life and can make daily activities a bit more challenging. Seek the advice of your personal physician, but don’t give in to the pain of plantar fasciitis.
Ingrown Toenail Prevention – Avoid The Pain
While an ingrown toenail is a painful and agonizing condition of the feet, there are a few things that you can do to help ingrown toenail prevention.
If you want to prevent an ingrown toenail began by keeping your toenails at a moderate length.
It is important to trim your toenails so that they are even with the tips of your toes.
Not any shorter and certainly not any longer.
If you trim your toenails too short, then the pressure from your shoes may force your toenails to grow directly into the soft tissue around the toe.
If you leave your toenails too long then they can curl under abnormally and again force the corner of the nails to grow into the soft tissue of the foot.
When it is time to cut your toenails, remember to trim them straight across. Do not round the nail.
Do not curve your toenails to match the shape of the front of your toe.
It is important that if you have your toenails done at a nail salon be certain to inform your pedicurist to trim your nails straight across, absolutely do not allow them to round your toenail.
If you have circulation problems with your feet such as peripheral vascular disease or diabetes then you must see your podiatrist on a regularly scheduled basis to have your nails professionally trimmed. It is the safest bet.
Ingrown toenail prevention can also be accomplished by wearing shoes that fit properly.
Shoes that are designed to place excessive pressure on your toes or to pinch your toes can cause your toenails to dig into the surrounding tissue leading to the onset of an ingrown toenail.
It is important to remember if you have peripheral vascular disease or diabetes or any other sort of health condition that might lead to nerve impairment in your feet, you may not be as aware as others that excessive pressure is being applied to your toes. Without intervention in you may end up with not only an ingrown toenail but also a raging infection.
Wearing protective footwear is also a wise suggestion for ingrown toenail prevention. This is particularly true if your employment puts you at risk of injuring your toes. Buying footwear like the steel toe boots and closed toe shoes can help to prevent injury to the toes which can lead to an ingrown toenail.
Ingrown toenail prevention is fairly easy. Making common sense choices can help you to avoid the pain and agony of an ingrown toenail.
Ingrown Toenail Treatment – Be Proactive
Toenails can be very painful if they become ingrown and can hinder you from your daily activities. Ingrown toenail treatment can be very effective if you are proactive.
Ingrown toenails are when the edge or corner of your toenail grows down and cuts into the skin of your toe, causing your toe to become red, inflamed, swollen and tender.
When you are walking your toenail can cut into your skin causing your toe to be very tender. Normally the big toes are most affected. If you do not treat the ingrown toenail the inflammation of the toe can spread and cause an infection caused by bacteria which is very painful. This infection can cause a foul odor and can even ooze pus from the infected area. Once the ingrown toenail has become infected, the toe will begin to bulge into a moist swelling along the edge of the nail and will start to cover the ingrown toenail.
Our genetic make up can be part of the reason for ingrown toenails. You may have inherited the tendency for your toenails to curve into the edge of your toenail rather than growing straight. Also, wearing tight shoes, excessive sweating and cutting your toenails improperly can cause you to be more susceptible to have ingrown toenails.
Ingrown toenail treatment should begin by soaking your ingrown toenail in warm water at least 4 times a day for twenty to thirty minutes. After soaking, cut away the nail that is digging into the tender area of the toe and then wrap the toe in clean dressing. Keep an eye on the toe to make sure the toenail is not growing back into the skin. If the toenail does not improve you may need to contact your primary care physician or podiatrist for further treatment.
Your primary care physician or podiatrist will examine the toenail and determine whether or not antibiotics are required and often you will need some type of pain medication depending on the severity of the infection.
After a course of antibiotics, if the ingrown toenail does not show significant improvement, under local anesthetic your doctor can partially remove your toenail and then allow the toenail to heal and grow back normally. The toenail can take several months to grow back.
Ask your primary care physician or podiatrist to teach you how to properly cut your toenails which will decrease the chances of you developing another painful ingrown toenail. Normally, the best time to cut your toenails is after the shower or bath when your toes are soft.
Once you have identified the ingrown toenail and met with your primary care physician or podiatrist you will need to start ingrown toenail treatment immediately so that the toenail does not become infected causing you severe pain. It is always better to be proactive.
Hammertoe Treatment
Hammertoe treatment can vary depending on the severity of your hammertoe. A hammertoe is a contracture of the toe due to a muscle imbalance between the tendons on the top and the tendons on the bottom of the toe.
Hammertoes can be either flexible or rigid in nature. With a rigid hammertoe it is not possible to straighten the toe out by manipulating it.
Rigid hammertoes often develop corns on the top of the toe as a result of rubbing on the shoe. Flexible hammertoes are considered less serious. This type of hammertoe is still moveable at the joint. Flexible hammertoes can be diagnosed and treated while still in the development stage. There are three types of hammertoe treatments.
The first type of hammertoe treatment is preventative. This type of treatment is directed toward the cause of the deformity. A special insert called a functional orthotic can be prescribed by your doctor to correct the abnormal functioning of the foot that causes the hammertoe. Functional orthotics slow down this gradual change in the foot. When used for flexible hammertoes the toes will straighten out and correct themselves. Stretching the calf can also help overcome part of the muscle imbalance that causes the hammertoe.
Symptomatic treatment of hammertoes is the second type of treatment. This type of treatment consists of such things as open toed shoes or hammertoe pads. Over the counter corn removers can also help with relieving painful calluses and corns seen with hammertoes.
A third type of hammertoe treatment is called curative treatment. This type of treatment varies depending upon the severity of the deformity. For flexible hammertoes a tendon release procedure works well with little recovery time. Often rigid hammertoes require surgery. This consists of removing the damaged skin where the corn is present. Then a small section of the bone is removed at the level of the rigid joint. With severe hammertoe deformity a pin may be required to hold the toe in place and fuse the bones in the toe.
Selecting the proper hammertoe treatment can depend on the severity of your hammertoe. Whether you have a flexible or rigid hammertoe also plays an important role in which treatment options are best for you. See your doctor to discuss your hammertoe treatment options.
Hammer Toe Flexible or Rigid
A hammertoe is a deformity in which the toe bends in a claw-like position.
This deformity can be present in the second, third or fourth toe; however, it is most common in the second toe.
There are two forms of hammertoe, flexible and rigid. With a flexible hammertoe the joint of the toe is able to move, therefore, the toe is able to straighten manually.
With a rigid hammertoe the joint of the toe does not have the same mobility as the flexible hammertoe resulting in limited movement and pain. Corns and calluses can also form on the hammertoe due to the toe constantly rubbing on the shoe.
There are several causes for hammertoe. Wearing high heel shoes is one of the causes for hammertoe. High heel shoes cause pressure on the front part of the foot squishing the toes together, causing one or more toes to bend. If the toes are bent and held in one position long enough the muscles will tighten and be unable to stretch out even after the shoe has been removed. This in turn, will start out as a flexible hammer toe but eventually may result in a rigid hammer toe.
Another cause of hammertoe is muscle imbalance. This is where the ligaments and tendons become unnaturally tight. As a result of this, the toe curls downward giving it the claw-like appearance. Left untreated this will also become a rigid hammertoe. Arthritis can also be a cause of a hammertoe.
There are several treatments for hammertoe. One is wearing properly fitting shoes with plenty of room in the toe area and avoiding high heel shoes.
Because tendons have tightened, another hammertoe treatment is stretching exercises. Stretching the toe can help lengthen the over tight tendon helping the toe to not bend abnormally.
There are also over the counter straps and cushions that can help straighten the toe and alleviate any pain associated with hammer toe. If these measures fail to correct the hammertoe, surgery may be another option.
A hammertoe deformity can cause pain and discomfort at the top part of the affected toe. Hammertoe can be treated non-surgically if detected early. However if surgery is required the outcome usually provides good results.
Bunions
A bunion is an enlargement of the bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe.
The big toe may turn toward the second toe, and the tissue surrounding the joint may be swollen and tender.
You may first see a bunion as noticed a bump on your big toe joint and your big toe may also be painful.
A bunion on your little toe, it is called a bunionette. A cute name, yes, but a painful condition nonetheless.
Signs and symptoms of bunions are a sore foot or feet; painful when walking, or a swollen, reddened area where the big toe connects to the foot and difficulty wearing shoes.
There are two general causes of bunions. Wearing tight, narrow, or high heeled shoes and hereditary factors, bunions normally run in the family, are two common causes of bunions.
Foot problems such as bunions typically occur in early adulthood. They can get worse as the foot spreads with aging. As stated, for many people, bunions run in the family. They may be just one of several problems due to weak or poor foot structure. Bunions sometimes develop with arthritis. In people with leg length discrepancies, bunions can form in the longer leg.
The choice of bunion treatment depends on the age of the patient and the level of pain the patient is in. The most effective treatment for bunions in adolescents is to buy wider shoes. If an adolescent undergoes surgery, there is a high likelihood that the bunions will return in adulthood.
The most effective treatment for adults is very similar to adolescents such as wearing wider and flatter shoes and to use a cushioned pad to make the area where the bunion is most painful more comfortable. If the patient is still experiencing a great deal of pain even after wearing the wider shoes and cushioned pad then surgery might be the next option.
Bunion surgery will straighten out the big toe, ligaments and tendons so that the big toe is pointing forward. The recovery time from surgery to remove a bunion is six to eight weeks. Foot exercises and physical therapy are recommended after bunion surgery.
A bunion can certainly be a painful foot condition. But your family physician or your podiatrist can help.
Also see foot corns…