| 800-210-6223 715-842-4288 |
| Wausau Podiatry Center LTD |
Common Foot Ailments
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Ingrown Nails:
This condition is caused by the nail cutting into the skin around the toe. The most
common cause is poor cutting of the nail – leaving a small spike which grows into the
skin. Thickened and misshapen nails due to trauma such as stubbing your toe are also
common causes.
Heel Spur Pain:
Pain in the heels is one of the most common problems treated by Podiatrists. Excessive
stretching of the connective tissues (called plantar fascia) on the sole of the foot can lead
to a painful condition called plantar fasciitis. This condition can progress into heel spurs.
Podiatrists regularly treat this condition very successfully with custom-made orthoses,
ultrasound and footwear advice.
Bunions
If you have a bunion, you know it can be a painful enlargement at the joint of the big toe.
The skin over the joint becomes swollen and is often quite tender. Bunions can be
inherited as a family trait, can develop with no recognizable cause or can be caused by
shoes that fit poorly.
Bunions:
A bunion is an enlargement at the joint of the big toe.
An important part of treatment is wearing shoes that conform to the shape of the foot and
do not cause pressure areas. This often alleviates the pain. In severe cases, bunions
can be disabling. Several types of surgery are available that may relieve pain and
improve the appearance of the foot. Surgery is usually done to relieve pain and is not
meant for cosmetic purposes.
Morton's Neuroma:
Morton's neuroma shown in circled area.Morton's neuroma is caused by a nerve being
pinched. This pinching usually results in pain between the third and fourth toes. Tight
shoes can squeeze foot bones together. The nerve responds by forming a neuroma, a
build up of extra tissue in the nerve. The neuroma results in pain, that may radiate into
the toes.
Treatment usually involves wearing wider shoes and taking oral medications to
decrease the swelling around the nerve. A pad on the sole of the foot to spread the
bones is often helpful. Your doctor may also inject cortisone around the nerve. If your
difficulty continues, surgery to remove the neuroma may be suggested.
Hammertoes:
Tight shoes make hammertoes painful.Hammertoes are one of several types of toe
deformities. Hammertoes have a permanent sideways bend in your middle toe joint. The
resulting deformity can be aggravated by tight shoes and usually results in pain over the
prominent bony areas on the top of the toe and at the end of the toe. A hard corn may
develop over this prominence.
Treatment usually involves a shoe to better accommodate your deformed toe. Shoe
inserts or pads also may help. If, after trying these treatments, you are still having
marked difficulty, surgical treatment to straighten the toe or remove the prominent area of
bone may be necessary.
Warts:
spontaneously disappear as the body builds up its own immune defences. This virus is
spread to other areas of the foot.
easily passed on from one family member to another and most warts that remain may
spread to other areas of the foot.
Warts can be painful, particularly if they are on a weight bearing area of the foot. There
are many forms of treatment ranging from simple home remedies to more extensive
therapies. Whatever the case, do not become complacent about warts on your feet, they
often multiply and spread making them difficult to treat.
Corns and Callouses:
These painful lesions are a direct result of pressure and friction. A callous is a
thickening of the skin due to pressure. It is nature's way of protecting an area being
traumatised. Corns usually form over a bony area of the foot. Generally speaking they
form on top of toes, between toes and on the soles of the feet.
Corns have a hard centre which places pressure on the nerves, which results in pain. A
common myth is that corns have roots or that they ingrow. Corns simply have a harder
section of skin in the centre than a callous does. This skin is quite hard and causes
more pain than a callous as they often occur over a bony part of the foot. Causes are
poorly fitted footwear, poor walking posture or clawing toes. We can remove corns with
little discomfort.
This condition is caused by the nail cutting into the skin around the toe. The most
common cause is poor cutting of the nail – leaving a small spike which grows into the
skin. Thickened and misshapen nails due to trauma such as stubbing your toe are also
common causes.
Heel Spur Pain:
Pain in the heels is one of the most common problems treated by Podiatrists. Excessive
stretching of the connective tissues (called plantar fascia) on the sole of the foot can lead
to a painful condition called plantar fasciitis. This condition can progress into heel spurs.
Podiatrists regularly treat this condition very successfully with custom-made orthoses,
ultrasound and footwear advice.
Bunions
If you have a bunion, you know it can be a painful enlargement at the joint of the big toe.
The skin over the joint becomes swollen and is often quite tender. Bunions can be
inherited as a family trait, can develop with no recognizable cause or can be caused by
shoes that fit poorly.
Bunions:
A bunion is an enlargement at the joint of the big toe.
An important part of treatment is wearing shoes that conform to the shape of the foot and
do not cause pressure areas. This often alleviates the pain. In severe cases, bunions
can be disabling. Several types of surgery are available that may relieve pain and
improve the appearance of the foot. Surgery is usually done to relieve pain and is not
meant for cosmetic purposes.
Morton's Neuroma:
Morton's neuroma shown in circled area.Morton's neuroma is caused by a nerve being
pinched. This pinching usually results in pain between the third and fourth toes. Tight
shoes can squeeze foot bones together. The nerve responds by forming a neuroma, a
build up of extra tissue in the nerve. The neuroma results in pain, that may radiate into
the toes.
Treatment usually involves wearing wider shoes and taking oral medications to
decrease the swelling around the nerve. A pad on the sole of the foot to spread the
bones is often helpful. Your doctor may also inject cortisone around the nerve. If your
difficulty continues, surgery to remove the neuroma may be suggested.
Hammertoes:
Tight shoes make hammertoes painful.Hammertoes are one of several types of toe
deformities. Hammertoes have a permanent sideways bend in your middle toe joint. The
resulting deformity can be aggravated by tight shoes and usually results in pain over the
prominent bony areas on the top of the toe and at the end of the toe. A hard corn may
develop over this prominence.
Treatment usually involves a shoe to better accommodate your deformed toe. Shoe
inserts or pads also may help. If, after trying these treatments, you are still having
marked difficulty, surgical treatment to straighten the toe or remove the prominent area of
bone may be necessary.
Warts:
spontaneously disappear as the body builds up its own immune defences. This virus is
spread to other areas of the foot.
easily passed on from one family member to another and most warts that remain may
spread to other areas of the foot.
Warts can be painful, particularly if they are on a weight bearing area of the foot. There
are many forms of treatment ranging from simple home remedies to more extensive
therapies. Whatever the case, do not become complacent about warts on your feet, they
often multiply and spread making them difficult to treat.
Corns and Callouses:
These painful lesions are a direct result of pressure and friction. A callous is a
thickening of the skin due to pressure. It is nature's way of protecting an area being
traumatised. Corns usually form over a bony area of the foot. Generally speaking they
form on top of toes, between toes and on the soles of the feet.
Corns have a hard centre which places pressure on the nerves, which results in pain. A
common myth is that corns have roots or that they ingrow. Corns simply have a harder
section of skin in the centre than a callous does. This skin is quite hard and causes
more pain than a callous as they often occur over a bony part of the foot. Causes are
poorly fitted footwear, poor walking posture or clawing toes. We can remove corns with
little discomfort.
