|
|
 |
| | | |
-
Foot Ailments
-
| | | |
Toenail Conditions
Ingrown Toenails: Ingrown toenail is the most common nail complaint. Any of the nails could be affected, but it occurs most often on the great toe. Due to improper cutting, short or narrow shoes, foot imbalance, etc., the nail plate may curve, causing the edge to press and cut into the tissue. Should skin become broken, bacteria may enter and a painful, infected ingrown toenail results. This may further be complicated by "proud flesh" - a free-bleeding mass - with pus that forms in the nail groove. This condition usually requires repeated treatment by the podiatrist to insure complete recovery.
 Despite some advertising claims, there is no drug which will cause nails to grow out straight. Moreover, the severe and more neglected ingrown toenails will require surgery for permanent correction. Modern research has given the profession many methods to care for the milder kinds of ingrown toenail.
Fungus Nails: Many skin conditions can spread to the nails. Fungus is probably the most common. Nails which lift away from the bed, show white or brown streaks, or thicken should be seen by a podiatrist for proper diagnosis and treatment. Once a diagnosis is established (this may require laboratory cultures) a good nail can be assured by conscientious patient-doctor cooperation. Nails are slow-growing tissue. Seven months to one year are often necessary to produce a normal appearing nail or surgical removal may be indicated.
Thickened Nails: Ugly, large, thickened nails are primarily caused by injury -- stubbing the toes or dropping an object on them. If the accident is severe enough to permanently alter the nail root or damage the bed on which the nail rests, a normal nail plate will not develop. Meticulous, periodic treatment by the podiatrist will make these nails look presentable and keep them from becoming painful. Often surgery for permanent removal of the nail is best. Skin conditions such as fungus or psoriasis as well as several general bodily diseases will also cause nails to thicken. |
|
The Common Corn
What Is A Corn?
A corn is a collection of hard, dry dead cells piled one upon the other. Some take the shape of a small corn or inverted pyramid with the point pressing into the sensitive underlying tissue.
 How Do Corns Form?
Corns build up gradually over a period of time where there is excessive pressure and friction. The skin becomes irritated and gradually thickens as nature attempts to protect the area. This cycle of pressure, friction and ultimate thickening of the skin can progress to agonizing proportions. Indirectly, the cause (pressure and friction) can be due to improper footgear, foot imbalance, hammer or distorted toes, boney growths, spurs, etc.
Types of Corns:
The most common is the hard corn usually found on the top or tip of the toes. Other are the soft corn between the toes, where perspiration macerates the area, and seed corns found on the soles of the foot. These, and others not so common, can be further complicated by extreme inflammation, infection, bursal formation beneath the mass, or a sinus sometimes penetrating the bone itself.
What To Do About Corns:
Visit a podiatrist (foot doctor). By careful diagnosis he will discover the cause if the trouble. Treatment can range from simple reduction of the dead skin mass to surgery for removal of a bony overgrowth or straightening a toe. |
|
|
|
|
