Spike in the foot - causes and treatment

Calluses, small abrasions on the heels, calluses - all this can cause its owner slight discomfort. However, if the neoplasm causes acute pain when walking, you should immediately think about it and see a doctor. There is a possibility that it can cause symptoms such as a thorn in the foot, a type of wart that is often located on the heels or toes and requires long-term treatment.

what is a peak

Plantar wart, goose or in Latin Verruca plantaris - this is what experienced doctors call a neoplasm that resembles a corn in appearance, but causes painful tingling when walking. Spike is considered a type of wart with a method of root attachment in the deep layers of the skin. A small accumulation can be cured by folk methods, and only deep freezing, laser removal and electrocoagulation methods help to completely remove the thorn on the foot.

The goose, which has grown deep into the skin, touches and injures the nerve endings and can cause cracks on the surface of the foot and inflammation. Skin growths are localized mainly on the skin of the feet, heels, toes or hands, but sometimes delicate areas of the body are also susceptible to infection with the virus: face, neck, ankles. Like any other wart, a thorn on the foot is a benign neoplasm, but if not treated properly, it can turn into a malignant tumor.

characteristics of education

As a rule, the diameter of the plantar wart varies between 1 and 2 centimeters, but sometimes the size of the neoplasm can reach 4-5 cm. In the photo, the spike on the foot looks like a dry round or oval callus, with clear boundaries. To the touch, the formation is very dense and painful. Under a microscope, dark brown spots can be seen in the center of the spine. If you carefully examine the growth after steaming the legs, you can see threads on the surface of the quills that have grown into all layers of the skin.

The first signs of the appearance

Early in development, the foot spike looks like a dry callus with a hardened crust. However, if not treated correctly, the neoplasm increases in size, changes color, becomes irregular, and a small hole forms in the middle, through which the rod is clearly visible. When pressing on the foot, there is a sharp pain, as if needles or thorns were stuck in the foot. If the neoplasm is not removed immediately, new growths may appear nearby over time.

How infection occurs

A plantar wart is a viral disease that can be contracted through open wounds on the bottom of the foot, by contact with a sick person, or by sharing objects. Bacteria feel especially comfortable in a humid environment, so people with excessive sweating of the feet are prone to the appearance of thorns. Most often, the infection occurs after visiting swimming pools, showers, gyms. To prevent the appearance of a plantar wart, doctors recommend always carrying personal hygiene products and bathing shoes.

Causes of plantar warts

It causes a spike in the foot of the human papillomavirus, which is present even in a healthy body. However, when certain conditions are created, bacteria begin to multiply actively, causing skin lesions. The risk is especially high in people with reduced immunity, pregnant women and children. A spike on the foot appears as a result of regular friction of the foot inside tight shoes, due to congenital or acquired deviations in the skeletal structure, for example, clubfoot. Factors that provoke the development of the virus in the body also include:

• excessive sweating of the palms of the hands, interdigital space, feet;
• constant stress, overexertion, lack of sleep;
• lesions, wounds or burns of the skin of the legs or hands;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• infectious and viral diseases: influenza, SARS, tonsillitis;
• wearing uncomfortable or tight shoes;
• flatfoot;
• avitaminosis;
• overweight.

How to get rid of a thorn

If a suspicious formation appears on the soles of the feet, you should not delay a visit to the doctor. The sooner the correct diagnosis is made and treatment is started, the lower the risk of growth of wart processes deep in the soft tissues. There are several methods of treating papilloma: physical impact on the wart, surgery, removal of growths with chemicals, complex therapy to increase immunity. Minimally invasive methods are especially popular.

Physical effect on the wart

Removal of papillomas with a scalpel is rarely used today, since this method does not give a 100% guarantee of eliminating the problem. The remaining processes in the layers of the skin can cause a recurrence and further growth of neoplasms. This method of treatment is acceptable if all other options are not available. The operation is performed under local anesthesia, followed by a long period of rehabilitation.

chemical methods

This option is considered one of the best in the conservative treatment of the spinal cord. Aggressive substances that are part of some drugs, when they come into contact with the affected areas of the skin, provoke cell necrosis, after which the keratinized particles are easily removed mechanically. It is worth noting that this option is painful and can lead to the appearance of scars and scars on the body. Preparations with a chemical composition are of several types:

• With a necrotic effect - due to very aggressive components, they cause mummification of the skin surface. Such drugs are categorically contraindicated during pregnancy and for the treatment of a child.
• Keratolytics: Agents that gently exfoliate dead skin cells and help smooth rough skin. In combination with other medications, they enhance their effect, contributing to the deep penetration of the active ingredients. Keratolytic drugs include: ointments and solutions with acids, urea-based patches.
• With a cryogenic effect - they act as a cryodestruction procedure, freezing and stopping the growth of papilloma.

immunotherapy

For a speedy recovery, along with local remedies, doctors recommend the use of drugs that stimulate the immune system. For this, immunostimulants are prescribed. At home, immunotherapy consists in the normalization of nutrition. The menu should include more fresh fruits, vegetables, juices. In addition, you can do light sports: swimming, running, cycling.

How to remove a spike on the leg at home

It can be difficult to heal a thorn with simple means. The whole difficulty lies in removing the roots of a benign neoplasm, otherwise the problem will arise again in the future. If you are worried about the spike on the foot, then special preparations will help to get rid of it:

• Ointment with salicylic acid - a remedy for external use. It has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effect. The ointment should be applied to previously steamed and dried skin with a thin layer. To enhance the effect, an occlusive dressing can be applied from above. It is necessary to carry out the procedure until the papilloma completely disappears 1 time a day. If desired, the ointment can be replaced with special patches or a preparation based on salicylic and lactic acid.
• Interferon alfa-2b ointment is a drug that has antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. The ointment is applied in a thin layer 3-4 times a day on the lesions. The duration of the course of treatment is 4-7 days. Contraindications include: individual intolerance to the components and the age of children up to one year.
• A special pencil is a silver-containing preparation with an antiseptic effect. The surface of the pencil is moistened with water, after which the product is applied to the damaged skin, avoiding affecting the healthy epidermis. The pencil should not be used during pregnancy, for the treatment of children, with the appearance of papilloma on the neck or face.
• Liquid developed based on a mixture of strong alkalis. Before use, healthy skin around the papilloma must be lubricated with a greasy cream, after which a drop of the solution is strictly applied to the center of the growth. Treatment is carried out until the complete burning of the plantar wart. It is worth noting that the procedure is very painful, causes itching and burning.
• A local agent based on isotretinoin. It belongs to the group of keratolytic drugs, it comes in the form of tablets. The capsules are taken orally with food at a dose of 0. 5-1 mg/kg for up to four months. The drug is contraindicated in pregnancy. With caution, you can take pills for diabetes, obesity, kidney and liver failure.
• Keratolytic ointment that helps treat advanced plantar warts. When applied to the skin, the active components of the product destroy the neurological connection between dead cells. The product is produced on the basis of urea, salicylic, citric, lactic acid. Sometimes it can cause the appearance of adverse reactions in the form of burning, itching and redness of the skin at the application site.
• Liquid based on phenol and tricresol with a mummifying effect. The method of use is the same as in the treatment with an alkaline solution. The drug is contraindicated in the presence of moles next to the papilloma, with hypersensitivity and in children under 7 years of age.

How to remove a spike in a foot

If the plantar wart has grown deep into the skin, regular topical creams, solutions, and ointments may not help. In such situations, doctors recommend resorting to minimally invasive methods of wart removal: electrocoagulation, laser removal by freezing with liquid nitrogen - cryodestruction. These methods help not only to remove the foot spike, but also prevent its reappearance in the future.

Cryodestruction

Burn the wart and its rhizomes with liquid nitrogen. Under the influence of cold, the body of the papilloma is destroyed, the area of inflammation decreases, and more viruses and bacteria die. A small bubble remains at the site of the procedure, which disappears on its own in a week and a half or two. The procedure is carried out without anesthesia and does not cause pain. The disadvantages of the operation in a long recovery period and the possibility of skin lesions next to the wart. You cannot undergo the cryodestruction procedure for cancer.

electrocoagulation

This method shows good results only in the initial stages of the appearance of thorns, when the threadlike roots have not had time to hit a large part of the foot. The papilloma is removed when the skin is exposed to high-frequency current pulses, due to which the toe and its rhizome are burned. The disadvantages of such an operation are pain: after the procedure, a bleeding wound remains on the body. Sometimes scars may appear after removal by electric current.

Pulsed laser treatment

One of the most popular and sought after treatments for plantar warts. Removal occurs under the influence of a laser beam, which simultaneously cauterizes the papilloma and disinfects the skin surface at the site of the operation. The laser method of treatment does not cause any complications, after the procedure, patients are quickly rehabilitated, the possibility of regrowth of thorns on the foot is completely excluded. The only drawback of this method is the high cost of the operation.

Spike in the leg - treatment with folk remedies

Along with complex drug treatment at home, plantar warts can be removed using traditional medicine. There are several effective recipes for removing thorns on the feet, palms and toes:

1. The spike on the heel will pass if you regularly apply a nettle compress to the sore spot. To prepare it, finely chop the nettle leaves, wrap them in a clean burdock leaf, fix with a Band-Aid. Put a sock on your foot and leave the compress on overnight. The duration of such therapy is 3-4 sessions. By the same principle, you can make compresses from Kalanchoe, potatoes and garlic.
2. Vinegar lotions help well. To cook them, use fresh garlic and 9% table vinegar. Mix the ingredients to a soft state and apply, after ensuring healthy skin with a patch. The mixture is aged for about one and a half to two hours, after which it is washed off with warm water. To enhance the effect after lotions, it is recommended to treat the surface of the foot with an ointment with salicylic acid.
3. An equally effective remedy for human papillomavirus is iodine. It dries the skin well, disinfects, helps relieve inflammation. To cure a spike on the foot with iodine, it is necessary to regularly lubricate the affected areas of the body.
4. A folk remedy can be prepared by the alkaline type of preparation at home. To do this, celandine leaves are collected, ground or finely chopped, and then poured with 90% medical alcohol. The mixture is insisted in a cool dark place for 1, 5-2 weeks, after which it is filtered. You need to apply the solution in a spot manner, sealing the skin around the spike with a plaster or smearing it with a greasy cream. The duration of treatment with celandine juice depends on the growth of neoplasms, but should not exceed 30 days.
5. Painful neoplasms can be cauterized with brine from canned cucumbers or tomatoes. To do this, take thick woolen socks, dip them in brine and put them on. From above, wrap your legs with cling film or a bag. To create a greenhouse effect, fix the compress with a clean, dry pair of socks. Make a compress at night, wash your feet with cold water in the morning. Procedures should be carried out until all tubercles have been resolved.