February 2023

The feet are also like the most rugged part of our body, naturally. Walking, running, etc. can place a lot of stress on the feet and as a result, various types of issues can arise. Foot issues can result from a variety of various kinds of damage and malfunctions, including injuries and inflammation.

One of the most complex parts of the body is the foot, which has 26 bones per foot.
Nevertheless, a person will likely walk 150,000 miles in their lifetime, or about six times around the world. Some of the main causes of foot issues are poor footwear, diabetes, and aging.
One of the most prevalent foot issues, the verruca infection, its causes, and when to seek treatment are highlighted in this article.

What Is Verruca Infection?

Verrucas or verrucae are tiny lesions, rough lumps, warts, or growths that frequently appear on the heels and balls of the foot, which frequently bear pressure.

Verrucas often go away on their own, but if they produce symptoms, they might need to be treated. Most people develop these verrucas at some point in their lives, according to research.
Men are not as significantly impacted as women.Around 4-5% of the population suffers from them, however children and teenagers are more likely to experience them than infants. These warts, which frequently afflict the hands, are more common in certain professions. These include office workers, engineers, butchers, etc.

Is A Verruca Contagious?

The first question that comes to mind when dealing with verruca infection is, “Is a verruca contagious?”.

Since verruca is an infection, it is contagious. Verrucas typically transmit from person to person. Such as sharing public baths where individuals with verrucas have already showered is a common method of dissemination.

Although this illness affects families, it is not hereditary. It affects multiple family members at once and is extremely contagious. If the skin on the foot is injured, cut, or ulcerated in any way, infections are frequently a result. Verruca infection spread might also happen if someone bites their nails, shaves, or suctions their fingers. As a result, the same person’s disease spreads to several bodily parts. There’s also symptoms to look out for in such cases.

Symptoms Of Verruca Infection

Most people dealing with verrucae express pain when walking. Leg or back pain may result from altered walking posture brought on by pain from verrucae in the pressure points of the feet.

• The sole of your foot appears to have a flat, white growth called a verruca.
• There may be one or more little black specks under the skin in the centre of the verruca.
• A verruca may appear by itself or in a group of other verrucas (mosaic warts).

Verrucas largely don’t have a lot of symptoms but they can cause sharp pain when you put weight on the affected area of your foot.

What are the Verruca Treatments?

Although verruca treatment isn;t necessary most of the time as it usually disappears on its own, it could take some time. Speak to a pharmacist if a verruca infection is causing you concern. They can provide you with verruca treatment advice and over-the-counter treatment recommendations.
Consult your General Podiatrist if over-the-counter medicine is ineffective in treating your verruca. Additionally, you ought to visit your General Podiatrist If your verruca is causing you severe anguish or pain, bleeding, spreading or expanding
It is highly recommended to visit your podiatrist if you’ve got conditions like diabetes. In such cases medical treatment is advised to avoid any kind of complications. Your podiatrist will inspect your verruca and look for more verrucae on your feet. They may advise a verruca removal procedure or send you for additional care, such as cryotherapy.
But in ordinary cases, to stop the infection from spreading, follow these instructions if you have a verruca on your foot:

• Try not to touch, pick at, or scrape your verruca.
• When swimming, cover your verruca with a waterproof plaster or a verruca sock.
• When utilizing the locker rooms and shared showers, wear flip-flops.
• Wear only your own socks and shoes.

What Complications Can Verruca Infection Cause?

Pain, subsequent bacterial infections, scarring, are the other common complications.The verrucae may have psychological effects, particularly in children, but that is still quite rare and it can be helped. Other than these few complications, they’re quite harmless in most cases. So much that that don’t even require any serious form of treatment, they basically just disappear for a majority.

Conclusion

Even though the verruca infection is usually easy to deal with, a visit to a professional still has its perks. If you’re looking to learn more about verruca treatment and other general podiatry information, Bucksfoot Clinic has the perfect team of professionals for you. Visit our website to know more.

Do you have discolored toenails or redness around toenails? Or perhaps you’re dealing with swelling, pain, burning sensations, or other issues. A problem with your feet should never be ignored, as even a simple ingrown toenail can lead to terrible infections.
But, who do you go to for these issues? Who treats ingrown toenails and other ailments in the feet? Podiatrists do. Podiatrists can help with pretty much any foot care issue. In this blog, we’ll give you a little more insight into the world of Podiatrists and what we do. Keep reading to learn more.

Who Treats Ingrown Toenails?

If you’ve ever wondered, “who treats ingrown  toenails?”, we’ll clear up that doubt for you. The best person who treats ingrown redness around toenails is a Podiatrist.
Lots of people still aren’t aware of what podiatrists do and still find themselves asking the question, “what is a Podiatrist?”.
Ingrown toenails are treatable at home, but at-home treatments can lead to complications if not carried out properly and hygienically. These complications will require immediate attention from a podiatrist.
A Podiatrist is a medical specialist that helps with problems related to your feet and lower legs. We can deal with complications from health issues like diabetes and even treat minor and major injuries. People also call us Podiatric Physicians or Doctors of Podiatric Medicine, as well as Chiropodists.
Though a Podiatrist IS a doctor, we don’t go to traditional medical schools. There are separate schools and professional associations for Podiatrists. Doctors usually have an “MD” after their name, which stands for “Medical Doctor”. We have “DPM” at the end of our names. This stands for “Doctor of Podiatric Medicine”.
We can treat ingrown toenails, perform surgeries, reset broken bones, order lab tests or x-rays, and even rest broken bones. We’re completely licensed to do so, and we often work alongside other specialists that treat issues of the feet and lower legs.

Is A Corn Serious?

If you’re wondering, “is corn serious?”, we have an answer for you. Corn is serious only in rare cases with medical history. People with diabetes or foot deformities such as bunions, hammertoes, or other birth deformities are the most likely to get corns. Rest assured, they’re quite easy to take care of otherwise, and just about every household knows how to treat corn.

What Is Nail Surgery?

Lots of people ask the question, “What is nail surgery?”. Nail surgery is considered a minor procedure. It is usually conducted under local anesthetic, to help alleviate pain and infection in redness around toenails.
During nail surgery, a podiatrist might remove one or two sections from your nail, on each side. In some forms of nail surgery, your podiatrist may have to remove your whole nail, depending on the extent of infection/injury.
Once the nail surgery is over, the podiatrist will use a form of treatment to prevent the affected nail from growing again.

Who Does Nail Surgery?

Now that you know what nail surgery is, you’re probably wondering who does nail surgery.
Nail surgery is done by certified professional Podiatrists. Never get nail surgery from anyone who is not professionally equipped to handle it.

How Effective Is It?

Nail surgery generally is a permanent solution to your problem. Regrowth can occur occasionally, but this is in much less than 5% of cases out of thousands.

Are There Alternatives to Nail Surgery?

There are a few common routine treatments that act as alternatives to nail surgery. They aren’t permanent solutions, however, and only help for immediate and short-term relief. A common treatment used is cutting the nail back, but the nail often regrows with the same issue.
Every patient is different and has a different pain tolerance. This is why we aim to alleviate their pain as fast as possible, according to the treatment that suits them best. Though, when a patient comes in with a chronically infected nail, nail surgery is the only safe and viable option.

Why Should You See A Podiatrist?

Feet are often overlooked, but they are extremely important as they support you throughout your life. Did you know that by the age of 50, most people would have walked approximately 120,700 km? Can you imagine the stress on your feet for a lifetime? Feet are very important, complex structures consisting of tendons, ligaments, and bones. All of these parts have to work carefully in unison to keep you moving around. This is why it’s important to take care of your feet and visit a podiatrist the minute you notice something strange is afoot (pun intended!).

Book an appointment with Bucksfoot Clinic if you’re dealing with any of the following:

-Discoloured / thickened toenails
-Cuts/cracks in the skin on your feet
-Warts and other growths
-Pain in your feet
-Peeling/scaling on the soles of your feet
-Redness around toenails
Though these may seem like small issues, they can often lead to much bigger problems in the future. Our professionals will take a good look at your problems and help you with all your needs.

In this article, we’ll find out why keeping your feet hygienic and taken care of can pay off in a lot of ways. One such perk can be frequent visits to your podiatrist. There are various types of foot conditions out there and here we’ll learn about what’s corn and how to treat them. Keep reading for more.

What’s a Corn?

The first questions that come to mind when talking about corn are “what’s corn?” and “Is corn serious?”. For the latter question, the answer is, it depends on their severity. As for the question “what’s a corn?”… Corns are a result of repeated friction, rubbing, irritation, and pressure on the skin. The common cause is tight-fitting shoes. In most cases, corn can be avoided with a little attention and care.

Corns are typically small and round. Corns are usually found on the top or sides of your toes. Corns are classified into several types:

● Hard corns are small, hard, dense areas of skin that are usually found within a larger area of thicken skin.
Hard corns typically form on the tops of toes, where bone pressure rubs against the skin.

● Soft corns are whitish/grey in color and have a softer, rubbery texture.
Between the toes, soft corns develop.

● Seed corns are small corns that grow on the bottoms of feet.

Is A Corn Serious?

If you’re wondering, “is corn serious?”, we have an answer for you. Corn is serious only in rare cases with medical history. People with diabetes or foot deformities such as bunions, hammertoes or other birth deformities are the most likely to get corns. Rest assured, they’re quite easy to take care of otherwise and just about every household knows how to treat corn.

How Do Corns Form?

Corns usually develop on the bony or prominent areas of the feet. Corns’ hardened layers of skin are your body’s way of protecting the underlying skin from irritation, etc. As you’ve learnt above, corns are a result of repeated friction, rubbing and irritation on the skin.

Many factors contribute to corn, for example:

• Shoes that do not fit correctly. The most common cause of corn on the tops of the feet is this.
• Long periods of standing, walking or running.
• Physical activities that put a strain on your feet.
• Going barefoot.
• Less to no use for socks
• Slipping socks and/or shoe linings under your feet while wearing shoes.
• Walking incorrectly/ improper posture.
• Physical activities that result in repeated friction on a skin area on your hands or fingers.

Moreover,

Common Symptoms For Corns

• Typical symptoms of corn include:
• Skin hardening occurs when there is repeated friction or pressure on the skin (corns and calluses).
• A small, round, raised hardened skin bump surrounded by irritated skin (more likely to be corn).
• Thick, hardened, and more flattened patch of skin (more likely to be callus).
• Touch sensitivity is lower than that of the surrounding skin (more likely to be callus).
• The bump’s raised area may be painful or uncomfortable (more likely to be corn).
• Blisters, pain, and redness

How To Treat A Corn

You may already be aware of this by now that corn can be treated at home with simple remedies. It doesn’t necessarily need a podiatrist visit unless you’ve got foot deformities or you suffer more pain than usual from it. In short, anything out of the ordinary and you might need some medical assistance.

First, we’ll take you through a more run-of-the-mill way how to treat corn with common symptoms:

1. Soak the area with the corn or callus (for example, your foot) in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the skin softens.
2. Soak a pumice stone or emery board in the water.
3. To remove dead tissue, gently move the pumice stone or emery board across the corn or callus while the skin on your foot is still soft.
4. Continue to file the corn or callus away, moving the stone or board in a single direction.
   Take care and avoid removing too much skin, this could result in bleeding and infection.
5. Every day, apply a moisturizing cream or lotion to the corn or callus and the surrounding dead skin. (Look for urea, salicylic acid, or ammonium lactate in your products)

Note: It is absolutely not recommended to try to treat corn on your own if you have diabetes. It is most wise to get medical assistance in such cases to avoid any complications.

There are various tips and tricks on how to treat corn and it’s usually treatat home too. Although there’s an option for over-the-counter medications, they usually contain harsh chemicals. OTC medications are to be applied with utmost care otherwise they can cause injury to the surrounding skin.

How To Prevent Corns From Forming

There are various simple ways to prevent corn, such as:

• Wear shoes that are well-fitting.
• Wear socks with shoes, that’s what they’re for.
• Make sure your socks are snug enough to not bunch up under your feet.
• Use cushioned or padded insoles.
• When performing manual labour or working with heavy or rough materials that can cause skin damage on your hands or fingers, wear gloves.
• Inspect and clean your feet on a daily basis.
• Wash your feet with warm soapy water, then pat them dry and apply a moisturizing foot cream.
• Maintain proper toenail care.
• Don’t walk around barefoot.
• If you have sweaty feet, use foot powder on a daily basis to keep them dry.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a good podiatrist to treat a corn or consult about foot care, Bucksfoot Clinic is the right place for you. Visit our website to learn more about the services and care we offer.