The Athlete’s Foot

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

By Seanna K. Metzger

Heather posted an awesome article Monday about running barefoot.  I’ve heard of barefoot running and even go barefoot occasionally, like at the beach or yoga.  Mostly though I’m a shoe person.  And I even have decent feet, so it’s not like I’m hiding or something.  It’s just that I love shoes.  They keep feet warm, out of direct contact with floors, are a big part of any outfit, and are just soo much fun to shop for, wear, talk about.  I love shoes!

After Monday’s blogpost, I realized that every shoe I wear, including trainers, are wrong.  As of this writing, I’m still in denial with the whole shoes-and-the-toll-it-takes-on-your-feet-and-body-thing.  It’s a big fat drag to think about what my beloved shoes are doing to my feet!

Drag or not, it’s a good time to talk about feet, common things that happen from normal wear and tear over time, and how to take care of them.

Corns –  This condition with the creepy name develops from an accumulation of dead skin cells on the foot, forming thick, hardened areas on the tops, sides and tips of the toes. They contain a cone-shaped core with a point that can press on a nerve below, causing pain, and can become inflamed due to constant friction and pressure from footwear.  Common causes of corns are tight fitting shoes, high heels, deformed toes, or the foot sliding forward in a shoe that fits too loosely. Soft corns result from bony prominences and are located between the toes. They become soft due to sweaty-ness in the toe area.

What to do:  Wear shoes that fit (neither too tight or too loose) with extra room in the toe area. I’ve read that corn removing solutions and medicated pads should be avoided because they can sometimes increase irritation and discomfort.  My dancer daughter has corns that have been smoothed and lessened with a pumice stone, but not gotten rid of completely.  Maybe that’s because like her mother, she doesn’t wear sensible shoes.  Fortunately hers aren’t painful.  If a corn is persistent or painful, see a podiatrist.

Calluses – Like corns, a callus is skin that hardens and thickens over an area of the foot.  It’s the body’s way of protecting the foot against excessive pressure and friction. Calluses are normally found on the ball-of-the-foot, the heel, and the inside of the big toe and develop because of excessive pressure at these sites.  Common causes of calluses are high-heeled shoes, shoes that are too small and tight, gait cycle abnormalities (walking motion), flat feet, high arched feet, bony prominences, and the loss of the fat pad on the bottom of the foot.

What to do: Wear shoes that fit, with a wide toe box and low heel.  When a callus develops anyway, treat it right away by using a pumice stone in the shower or bath, and apply a heavy cream in the morning before you put on shoes and socks and at night before bed.  This same treatment works for established calluses too.  They may not go away completely, but consistent care will make them softer and less rough and large.  If a callus are painful or persist, see a podiatrist for treatment.

Bunions – A bunion is a bump on the inside of the foot around the big toe joint. The bump is actually a bone protruding towards the inside of the foot. When this is allowed to continue (by wearing pointed toe shoes) the big toe ends up permanently moving under or over the second toe (a condition called, wait for it …  overlapping toes).  Besides the obvious bump that ought not to be there, other indicators of a bunion include inflammation, swelling, and soreness on the side surface of the big toe.  A bunion that forms on the outside of the foot along the little toe joint has the coolest name ever, a Bunionette.  When both types of bunions are present, the foot looks like it has taken on the shape of the inside of a dress shoe.  Women are the most common sufferers of bunions.  No shock there, as they are caused by wearing tight, narrow, shoes with a constrictive toe box, ie. anything cute and sassy.  No surprise I have bunions starting to develop on both of my feet.

What to do:  There are products designed to relieve bunion pain, like shields and bandages. Bunions don’t get better on their own and the only way to prevent them from becoming worse is by wearing sensible shoes.

Cracked heels – The technical name for cracked heels is a heel fissure, and they develop when the skin on the bottom outer edge of the heel becomes hard, dry, and flaky.   For most people they are just annoying but can become dangerous fast if allowed to get deep or infected.  Anyone can get a heel fissure but more so by living in a dry climate and consistently walking around barefoot, or wearing sandals and crappy flip-flops.

What to do:  As prevention, moisturize your feet, especially the heels regularly.  If you have them already, use a pumice in the shower or tub to gently file away the thick skin, then rub in a thick moisturizer before socks and shoes and before bed.  Wearing shoes with strong shock absorption can help improve bad heel cracks as well as relieve any pain.

Ingrown toenails – These have a fancy name too, onychocryptosis.  An ingrown toenail happens when skin on one or both sides of the toenail grows over the edges of the nail, or when the nail itself grown into the skin.  The repeated pounding that runners feet take can cause ingrown toenails, as can a stubbed toe, your toe being smashed and a piece of the nail being jammed into the skin.  Often though they’re caused by cutting the toenail wrong or too short and angled, which makes the nail to re-grow into the skin.  (The proper way to cut your toenails is straight across so the corners are visible.  Tight shoes with a narrow toe box aggravate an ingrown toenail.  They can swell and ooze, which means it’s become infected, usually from the warm, moist, bacteria laden environment of our shoes.

What to do:  Deal with it as soon as you figure out you’ve got one.  I usually cut a V into the middle of my toenail and a day later the soreness is gone and the part that was poking into the skin seems to have pulled itself out.  Another treatment I found was to soak your foot in warm salt water, dry thoroughly, apply and antiseptic solution to the area, and bandage lightly.  I haven’t tried this method, but if you have, please let me know how it worked for you.  The trick is to not let it get infected which you’ll know by the swelling, crazy tenderness and pus.  At this point you’ll need a to see your Dr. for a little in-office surgery to have the ingrown nail dug out and your toenail fixed up, plus you may need to go on an antibiotic.

Fungus and athlete’s foot – Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that makes the skin between the toes and soles of the feet red, dry, flaky, itchy and painful.  Infections like athlete’s foot can be picked up in showers, gyms, dressing rooms, swimming pools, and other warm damp areas fungus can thrive.  They enter the foot through fissures and sores, remain there and spread other parts of the body.

What to do:  Don’t go barefoot or use a pair of flip-flops to avoid contact with the floor in places like these.  Even then, it’s really important to carefully wash and thoroughly dry your feet after you’ve bared them.  If you do get a case of athlete’s foot, it’s a good idea to see your Dr. to have it diagnosed and get a prescription antifungal medication, although there are effective over the counter medications.  Either way, don’t wait because fungal infections are stubborn and can become chronic.  During treatment, and even afterwards should you become plagued with athlete’s foot, keep your feet clean, wear dry, airy shoes and socks, avoid tight footwear and use foot powder to help keep the feet dry.

Although I’ve escaped athlete’s foot, I do have calluses and bunions, surely because of my love of cute, un-sensible shoes.  I’ve had great success dealing with calluses and cracky heels by regularly using the pumice and cream trick described above. The bunions I have are very small, but they’re unmistakable and are only going to get worse. However, I know myself, and I’m not even close to being ready to give up fabulous shoes just yet.  It’s doubtful I will anytime soon (well, maybe when I’m 80).  In the meantime, I’ll distract myself shopping for stylish Borns, Birkies and Earth Shoes, and regular pedicures, complete with glitter toenail polish.  You’ve got to live, right?

What about you?  What foot issues do you have?  What treatments have helped?  How do you live with them in your real life?

Sources:

http://www.foot.com/

http://www.footcaredirect.com/