Foot Health: Common Issues and How to Manage Them (2024)

Happy feet are healthy feet. Learn about common foot problems and best tips to take care of your tootsies.

The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons made of strong fibrous tissues to keep all the moving parts together — not to mention more sweat glands than any other part of the body.

Indeed, thefootis an evolutionary marvel, capable of handling hundreds of tons of force — your weight in motion — every day. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), every mile a person walks puts as much as 60 tons of pressure on each foot. The foot’s myriad parts, including the toes, heel, and ball, work together to get you from one place to another.

But the stress of carrying you around puts your feet at high risk of injury, higher than any other body part. And many foot problems, including hammertoes, blisters,bunions, corns and calluses, claw and mallet toes, ingrown toenails, toenail fungus, and athlete’s foot, can develop due to neglect, ill-fitting shoes, and simple wear and tear, says Saylee Tulpule, a podiatrist who practices in Maryland and Washington D.C.

“Since our body weight is on our feet, it’s really important to wear good-quality shoes,” says Tulpule. That means choosing shoes that are durable and offer good support and cushion to protect the soft tissue and joints of the feet, she notes.

It’s also important not to disregard foot pain, and keep in mind that this can sometimes be the first sign of a systemic problem, says Tulpule.Gout, for example, often affects the foot joints first. And, she notes, “With diabetes, patients will often report symptoms of numbness or a burning sensation in their feet.” Patients may also report that their feet feel colder to the touch, and the skin of the feet may appear thinner, says Tulpule. “These are all indications that perhaps there could be a larger issue at hand, whether it’s diabetes or another condition that’s causing vascular issues [circulation problems],” she adds.

To keep your hardworking tootsies in top form, learn how to identify some common foot-health issues and what you can do to manage them.

171

Athlete’s Foot

Caused by a fungus that likes warm, dark, moist environments, athlete’s foot (also called tinea pedis) commonly affects the areas between the toes and the bottoms of the feet. It can inflame the skin and cause a flaky or scaly rash that can be red, purple, gray, or white, depending on your skin color. Other symptoms of athlete’s foot include itching, burning, peeling, and sometimes a slight odor, says Tulpule.

You can ease symptoms of athlete’s foot and lower your risk ofrecurrence by keeping your feet and toes clean and dry, changing your shoes and socks regularly, and never walking barefoot in public locker rooms and showers (both to prevent picking up further infection and not transmit your infection to others). Tulpule also recommends opting for socks made from synthetic materials, which are better for wicking moisture away from the skin. “Try to avoid cotton socks as much as possible,” she advises.

Over-the-counter antifungal creams, powders, or sprays can be used to treat athlete’s foot, according to Penn Medicine. And, adds Tulpule, there are over-the-counter germ-killing sprays you can use on shoes as well.

If these remedies do not work after about three to four weeks, you may need to see a doctor and ask about prescription-strength topical or oral medication, says Tulpule.

172

Blisters

“Most blisters are caused by friction between the skin on the foot and the inside of your shoes,” says Allan M. Boike, the dean of the College of Podiatric Medicine at Kent State University in Ohio.

You can prevent blisters — soft pockets of raised skin filled with clear fluid — on your feet by wearing comfortable, appropriate-size shoes and socks. If blisters do develop, it’s best to let them break naturally rather than burst them on your own, even when they are painful and make walking difficult, Boike says.

“If you develop a blister, simply cover it with a bandage and allow it to burst naturally,” he advises. “If it bursts, you can apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment with a bandage to help it heal and prevent infection, but you should keep the area covered to reduce friction and keep it from reforming.”

Most foot blisters don’t require medical attention. But if you have diabetes or another health condition that makes you prone to infections, you should consult a physician before treating any blisters yourself, says Boike.

173

Bunions

A bunion is a bony bump at the base of the big-toe joint. The changes within the foot that cause the bump also cause the big toe to turn inward, toward the smaller toes, according to Mayo Clinic.

Bunions can result from congenital deformities, arthritis, trauma, heredity, or habitually wearing shoes that are too narrow in the toe. Regardless of what caused them in the first place, bunions can be made worse by high heels and constrictive shoes, says Tulpule.

Treatment for bunions typically involves ice, rest, and over-the-counter pain relievers, says Tulpule. Doctors may also recommend range-of-motion exercises, wider shoes, and padded shoe inserts. If those methods fail to relieve pain and allow for normal walking, she notes, surgery may be recommended to return the big toe to its normal position.

174

Corns and Calluses

Corns and callusesform after repeated rubbing against a bony area of the foot, usually by shoes that don’t fit well, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Corns can appear on the tops and sides of your toes as well as between your toes, while calluses tend to form on the bottoms of the feet, especially under the heels or balls of the feet, and on the sides of the toes. These compressed patches of dead skin cells can be hard and painful to walk on.

With many corns or calluses, you can treat them yourself by removing the buildup of skin. The Cleveland Clinic recommends soaking the affected area in warm water until the skin softens and using a wet pumice stone or emery board to remove the dead skin. Be gentle, though: Removing too much skin can cause bleeding and infection. You can also apply a moisturizing cream or lotion to the corn or callus and surrounding dead skin to soften the skin over time.

If this doesn’t work, you may need to consult a podiatrist, who may recommend placing moleskin or other protective padding around corns and calluses to relieve pain.

175

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitisis a painful disorder in which the strong, fibrous band of tissue that connects the ball of the foot to the heel — the plantar fascia — becomes inflamed, overly stretched, or even torn. Plantar fasciitis has no visual signs or symptoms, just pain and stiffness in the foot, says Tracey Vlahovic, a podiatrist and a clinical professor at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia.

Research shows that people who regularly run long distances may be more prone to injuries involving the soles of the feet, including plantar fasciitis, but it’s generally seen as an overuse injury for which nearly everyone is at risk, Vlahovic notes.

To help relieve the pain, your doctor may recommend applying a cold compress or taking an over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Other measures such as rest, supportive shoes or shoe inserts may also help. Your podiatrist may also recommend that you wear a splint at night to stretch the affected foot, says Boike.

“Most of the time, we’ll refer people to physical therapy, where they can learn stretches to reduce the tightness in the medial band of the foot,” Boike says. In most cases, plantar fasciitis can be treated with nonsurgical measures, according to AAOS. Boke notes that fewer than 10 percent of the people with plantar fasciitis he sees require surgery to treat the condition.

176

Hammertoes

Your foot has two joints in the big toe and three joints in the other four toes. The toes typically lie flat, but when pressure, such as from shoes that don’t fit properly, or a medical condition causes your toes to curl and stay bent, this can lead to a condition called hammertoes, mallet toes, or claw toes, depending on which joint is affected, according to AAOS.

If the middle joint of your second, third, or fourth toe is bent up so that your toe resembles a hammer, you may have what’s called ahammertoe. Ill-fitting shoes contribute to the formation of hammertoes. It can also be congenital, meaning you’re born with it. Other contributing causes can include certain health conditions such as diabetes or neuromuscular diseases.

Hammertoes are initially flexible as they develop, but without treatment, they can become more rigid over time. When hammertoes press against the insides of your shoes, corns and calluses may form on them, which can be painful.

If your toe is still flexible, your doctor may suggest that you wear roomier, more comfortable footwear. In addition, wearing inserts or foot pads can help reposition your toe. But if your toe becomes fixed in the bent position, you may need surgery, according toMayo Clinic.

177

Mallet Toes

With mallet toes, the joint that’s closest to the tip of the toe is impacted, causing the toe to bend downward at that joint. The bend is therefore a bit smaller compared with that of hammertoes, according to UMass Memorial Health.

As with hammertoes, a painful corn or callus can develop at the top of the bent joint or at the tip of the toe where it presses against the ground. In most cases, the second toe is affected because it’s the longest, but mallet toes can also affect the third and fourth toes. And, like hammertoes, mallet toes can initially be flexible but can become rigid over time, causing the affected toes to stay in a curled position.

Improperly fitting shoes, injuries andarthritisare among the causes of mallet toes, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Treatment and management of mallet toes can include special shoe inserts, wearing shoes with extra toe room, exercises to strengthen and stretch the toe muscles, and if necessary, surgery.

178

Claw Toes

With claw toes, the joint at the base of the toe, where the toes meet the foot, curls upward, causing the toe to point up. There’s also a bend at the middle and end joints of the toe, making the toe look curved, or clawlike, according to UMass Memorial Health.

As with hammertoes and mallet toes, claw toes often develop calluses and corns where they rub against shoes. Claw toes can be painful, and can make it difficult to walk or run. While tight shoes can be blamed for claw toes, so can nerve damage to the feet (fromdiabetesor other conditions), which weakens foot muscles, according to AAOS.

And like hammertoes and mallet toes, claw toes can worsen over time and become permanently bent without treatment, which can include measures such as exercises, wearing shoes with roomy toe boxes, and surgery if necessary.

179

Gout

Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid in joint tissues and joint fluid, which happens when the body is unable to keep uric acid levels in check, according to Boike. Although gout isn’t a foot condition per se, typically, one of the first places this buildup occurs is in the big toe joint. This is because, temperature-wise, the toes are the body’s coolest parts, and uric acid crystallizes with temperature changes, Boike says.

You’ll probably know agout attackwhen it happens: The joint where the big toe connects to the foot will get hot, red, and swollen and will be painful even to the slightest touch.

You can help reduce your risk of gout attacks by making changes to your diet to avoid foods known to cause a rise in uric acid, like red meat, seafood, and alcohol, particularly beer, Boike says. Significant consumption of beer or liquor (more than one drink per day) has been linked to an increased risk of an attack of gout, he says.

Maintaining a normal body weight also appears to have a significant effect on preventing gout attacks.

Once you are in the midst of a gout attack, drinking water to keep hydrated and staying in bed may help, but if you have frequent attacks, your doctor will likely refer you to a rheumatologist to manage the condition, according to Boike.

Medications for gout are designed to reduce pain or control the body’s production of uric acid to limit the frequency of attacks, he says.

Although gout most often starts in the foot, it can spread to other joints, where uric acid can accumulate and crystallize, limiting range of motion — which is why it’s important to treat the condition, not just the symptoms, Boike says.

180

Ingrown Toenails

Proper toenail clipping — straight across and not too short — is key to preventing ingrown toenails. If you don’t cut them straight, the corners or sides of the nail can dig into the skin, causing pain and sometimes an infection (called paronychia).

Other causes ofingrown toenailsinclude shoes that press your toes together and unusually curved toenails, according to Mayo Clinic.

If you develop an ingrown toenail, you can try soaking the toe in warm water for 15 or 20 minutes several times a day and tucking a small piece of cotton or dental floss under the ingrown edge of the nail to encourage it to grow up and away from the skin.

If home remedies aren’t working or you have diabetes or another cause of reduced blood flow to the toes, you should see a doctor, who may lift or remove the affected nail and recommend the use of a topical antibiotic to prevent infection, per Mayo Clinic.

181

Toenail Fungus

Toenail fungus can give nails an unattractive, deformed appearance. It can also spread to other nails, including fingernails.

Toenail fungus often forms after damage to the nail that causes the nail-skin junction, where the nail meets the skin of the toe, to be disrupted. This can occur after a pedicure, because of ill-fitting shoes, or after repetitive trauma from running or hiking that causes the nail to lift or get pressed on.

“Toenail fungus is caused by a skin-, hair-, and nail-loving fungus,” Vlahovic says. “The fungus is attracted to the protein in the nail bed, and the toenail is perfect because it’s in a moist and warm environment — inside your shoes — most of the day.”

Treating toenail fungus can be difficult, as it often comes back even after successful treatment, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. Your doctor may recommend medication to apply to the nails, antifungal medication, or a combination of both. If medication doesn’t work, your doctor may recommend removing the nails to treat the infection.

182

Hallux Rigidus

Hallux ridigus, the most common form of arthritis in the feet, develops in the joint at the base of the big toe, according to the The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. The condition typically develops in people over 30 and tends to affect women more than men.

This condition, also sometimes called turf toe or stiff big toe, can make walking or even standing painful, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It can be caused by overuse of the joint, often in athletes or workers who squat or stoop a lot on the job, or by inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or gout.

Treatment often includes wearing shoes with plenty of room for the toes, sometimes along with inserts designed to limit movement of this joint. Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen can also help reduce swelling. When these approaches don’t help, corticosteroid injections can relieve pain.

For more advanced cases, when limited joint mobility or pain interferes with daily life, surgery may also help to restore movement, according to Tulpule.

Additional reporting by Lisa Rapaport.