4 Common Foot Diseases (And How To Prevent Them)

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Our feet go through a lot of daily abuse. We need them to walk, run, jump, and climb. Naturally, our feet aren’t invincible and so we can run into a number of foot problems. Below we share some of the most common foot diseases, how they happen, and how you can treat them.

The first is called athlete’s foot. It’s a fungal infection on your skin commonly found between your toes. That being said, the infection can spread to other areas and cause itching, significant discomfort and even pain. Common causes of this normally stem from gyms, showers, and pool areas where people walk around barefoot. As a general rule fungus thrive well in damp and warm areas. So wearing shoes that are warm and damp can cause fungus to develop.

Thankfully treating athlete’s foot is pretty easy. You want to make sure that you keep your feet clean and dry and that can involve using separate towels for drying. Some other remedies are buying sprays. powders. or lotions built to tackle this fungus.

Second foot disease that you can run into is bunions. These are abnormalities on your feet that form bumps. They normally develop around the joint of your large toe and can cause your big toe to turn slightly inward. Women are more likely to have these mainly due to the narrow footwear. Some other causes of this disease though are generally having tight shoes (i.e. shoes that are too small) or you may get them if your family has a history of bunions.

Treating this disease is a lot more than applying an ice pack. Although applying ice for 10 minutes can help it feel better, this is more of a band-aid fix. That practice can reduce the inflammation from that area. For actual treatment, you’ll need to see a doctor who specializes in foot care as they can prescribe custom-made inserts to help treat the area.

With more people developing diabetes, you may discover that they’re more prone to getting foot problems. One common one is diabetic neuropathy and occurs with people who are more prone to fluctuations in their blood sugar. This doesn’t just apply to diabetics though. Anyone with a history of smoking, alcoholism or diabetic neuropathy in their family is prone to this condition too.

Treatment for this condition is simply maintaining a healthy diet and good control over your blood sugar levels. Doctors can also recommend methods to prevent the condition from getting worse, however, if you have diabetic neuropathy there is no way to repair the nerve damage in that area. It’s also suggested to get regular foot exams.

The last common foot problem is ingrown toenails. These are nails that grow into the nail groove. In worst cases this can cause us to feel pain, our toes reddening or swelling. It can even cause drainage from our toenail which suggests an infection is present. One cause of these ingrown toenails can stem from the pressures our shoes have on our feet if they don’t fit quite right. Others can stem from toenails that aren’t trimmed properly or if your family has a history of ingrown toenails.

Treating the problem though is pretty easy though. Some methods to consider are things like washing your feet with antibacterial soap, drying and cleaning your feet often. On top of that cutting toenails straight across after a bath or shower can help and avoid cutting nails in a rounded pattern.

There are many ways for you to treat nails at home, however, if at-home care doesn’t improve the condition of your feet, be sure to call your doctor and request for an orthopedic surgeon or a podiatrist.