Spike in the foot - causes and treatment

Calluses, small abrasions on the heels, corns - all this can cause slight discomfort to the owner. However, if the neoplasm causes severe pain during walking, you should think about it and see a doctor immediately. A type of wart, often localized on the heels or toes and requiring long-term treatment, is likely to provoke the appearance of symptoms such as thorns on the foot.

What is a spike

Plantar wart, goose, or Verruca plantaris in Latin - what experienced doctors call a neoplasm that looks like corn, but causes painful tingling while walking. Spike is a type of wart in the deep layers of the skin by the method of radical adhesion. A small accumulation can be treated with folk remedies, and only deep freezing methods, laser removal and electrocoagulation help to completely remove the thorn in the foot.

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

Features of education

As a rule, the diameter of the plantar wart varies from 1-2 centimeters, but sometimes the size of the neoplasm can reach 4-5 cm. In the photo, the spike on the foot looks like a round or oval dry callus. clear boundaries. The formation is very intense and painful to the touch. Under the microscope, dark brown dots may appear in the center of the spine. If you carefully examine the growth after steaming your feet, you can see the threads on the surface of the spikes that have grown in all layers of the skin.

Plantar wart on the foot (spike).

The first signs of appearance

At the beginning of its development, the spike in its foot resembles a dry callus with a hardened bark. However, if not treated properly, the neoplasm grows in size, changes color, becomes rough, and a small hole is formed in the middle where the rod is clearly visible. There is severe pain when you step on the foot, as if needles or thorns are stuck in the foot. If the neoplasm is not removed immediately, new growths may appear over time.

How the infection occurs

Plantar wart is a viral disease that can be spread through open wounds on the heel, contact with a sick person, or through common objects. Bacteria feel especially comfortable in a humid environment, so people with excessive sweating of the feet are prone to the appearance of thorns. Very often the infection occurs after visiting swimming pools, showers, gyms. To prevent the appearance of plantar warts, doctors always recommend that you have personal hygiene items and swimming shoes with you.

Causes of plantar warts

This creates a spike in the foot of the human papillomavirus, which is present even in a healthy body. However, under certain conditions, bacteria begin to actively multiply, provoking skin lesions. The risk is particularly high in people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and children. The spike in the foot is due to congenital or acquired deviations in the structure of the skeleton, for example, as a result of regular rubbing of the foot inside the tight shoe from the rod foot. Among the factors that cause the development of the virus in the body:

  • palms, interdigital space, excessive sweating of the feet;
  • constant stress, excessive tension, lack of sleep;
  • injuries, wounds or burns to the skin of the feet or hands;
  • exacerbation of chronic diseases;
  • infectious and viral diseases - influenza, SARS, tonsillitis;
  • wear uncomfortable or tight shoes;
  • straight legs;
  • avitaminosis;
  • excess weight.

How to get rid of a thorn

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

The doctor examines the patient's leg with a magnifying glass

Physical effects on sneezing

Scalpel removal of papillomas is rarely used today, because this method does not guarantee 100% relief from the problem. Remaining processes in the skin layers can lead to relapses and further growth of neoplasms. This method of treatment is acceptable in the absence of all other options. The operation is performed under local anesthesia, followed by long-term rehabilitation.

Chemical methods

This option is considered one of the best in the conservative treatment of the spinal cord. Aggressive substances, which are part of some drugs, cause cell necrosis when they enter the affected areas of the skin, after which the keratinized particles are easily removed mechanically. It should be noted that this option is painful and can cause the appearance of scars and scars on the body. There are several types of chemical preparations:

  • With necrotic effect - due to very aggressive components cause mummification of the skin surface. Such drugs are strictly contraindicated during pregnancy and for the treatment of a child.
  • Keratolytics - agents that gently exfoliate dead skin cells, helping to soften rough skin. Together with other drugs, they increase the effect by contributing to the deep penetration of the active ingredients. Keratolytic drugs include: ointments and solutions with acids, urea-based patches.
  • With cryogenic effects - they act as a cryodestruction procedure, freezing and stopping the growth of papillomas.

Immunotherapy

For a speedy recovery, in addition to local remedies, doctors recommend the use of drugs that stimulate the immune system. Immunostimulants are prescribed for this purpose. Home immunotherapy consists of normalizing nutrition. The menu should include more fresh fruits, vegetables and juices. In addition, you can do light sports - swimming, running, cycling.

How to remove the spikes on his feet at home

Thorns can be difficult to treat with simple means. All the trouble is rooting out a good neoplasm, otherwise the problem will recur in the future. If you are worried about the spike in your foot, special preparations will help to eliminate it:

  • Ointment with salicylic acid - a tool for external use. Has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. The ointment should be applied in a thin layer to pre-steamed and dried skin. An occlusive dressing can be applied from above to enhance the effect. The procedure should be performed once a day until the papilloma is completely gone. If desired, the ointment can be replaced with special patches or a preparation based on salicylic and lactic acids.
  • Ointment with interferon alfa-2b is an antiviral and immunomodulatory drug. The ointment is applied to the damaged areas with a thin layer 3-4 times a day. The duration of treatment is 4-7 days. Contraindications include: individual intolerance to the components and the age of children under one year.
  • A special pen is a drug containing silver, which has an antiseptic effect. The surface of the pen is moisturized with water, after which the product is applied to damaged skin without affecting healthy epidermis. The pen should not be used during pregnancy, for the treatment of children, with the appearance of papillomas on the neck or face.
  • A liquid based on a mixture of strong alkalis. Before use, healthy skin around the papilloma should be lubricated with an oily cream, after which a drop of the solution is applied strictly to the center of growth. Treatment is carried out until complete burning of the plantar wart. It should be noted that the procedure is very painful, causing itching and burning.
  • A local agent based on isotretinoin. It belongs to the group of keratolytic drugs and is available in tablet form. Capsules are taken orally at a dose of 0. 5-1 mg / kg with meals for up to four months. The drug is contraindicated during pregnancy. As a precaution, you can take pills for diabetes, obesity, kidney and liver failure.
  • Keratolytic ointment to help 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 adverse reactions in the form of burning, itching and redness of the skin at the site of application.
  • A mummifying liquid based on phenol and tricresol. The method of use is the same as in the treatment with alkaline solution. The drug is contraindicated in children under 7 years of age with the presence of moles, sensitivity to papilloma.

How to remove the spikes on his feet

If the plantar wart has grown deep in the skin, ordinary topical creams, lotions and ointments will not help. In such cases, doctors recommend using minimally invasive methods to remove warts: electrocoagulation, laser removal using liquid nitrogen freezing - cryodestruction. These methods not only help to remove the spike in the foot, but also prevent it from reappearing in the future.

Cryodostruction

Burning of warts and its rhizomes with liquid nitrogen. Under the influence of the cold, the body of the papilloma is destroyed, the area of inflammation is reduced and more viruses and bacteria die. A small blister remains at the site of the procedure, disappears spontaneously in one and a half to two weeks. The procedure is performed without anesthesia and does not cause pain. Disadvantages of the operation during a long recovery period and the possibility of skin damage near the wart. You cannot undergo a cryodestruction procedure for cancer.

Electrocoagulation

This method shows good results only in the early stages of the appearance of the vertebrae, when the filiform roots do not have time to hit a large part of the foot. When the skin is exposed to high-frequency current pulses, the papilloma is removed, so the spike in the foot and its rhizomes are burned. The disadvantage of such an operation is pain: after the procedure, a bleeding wound remains in the body. Occasionally, scars may appear after being removed with an electric current.

Pulsed laser treatment

It is one of the most popular and sought after treatments for plantar warts. Removal also occurs under the influence of a laser beam that cauterizes the papilloma and disinfects the surface of the skin at the site of surgery. Laser treatment does not cause any complications, patients are quickly rehabilitated after the procedure, and the possibility of re-growth of the spine in the foot is completely ruled out. The only disadvantage of this method is the high cost of the operation.

Laser treatment for plantar warts

Spike on the foot - a folk remedy

In combination with complex drug treatment at home, plantar warts can be removed using traditional medicine. Here are some effective recipes to remove thorns on the feet, palms and toes:

  1. The spike in the heel will pass if you apply a nettle compress to the painful area regularly. To prepare it, finely chop the nettle leaves, wrap them in clean burdock leaves and fasten with a bandage. Put socks on your feet and leave the compress 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. Use fresh garlic and 9% table vinegar to cook them. Mix the ingredients until soft and apply after providing a patch to healthy skin. The mixture is aged for about one and a half to two hours, after which it is washed with warm water. After lotions, it is recommended to treat the surface of the foot with salicylic acid ointment to increase the effect.
  3. Iodine is an equally effective remedy for human papillomavirus. It dries the skin well, disinfects and helps to eliminate inflammation. To treat the spikes on the feet with iodine, it is necessary to regularly lubricate the affected areas of the body.
  4. Folk remedies with alkaline preparations can be prepared at home. To do this, celandine leaves are collected, ground or finely chopped, then poured with 90% medical alcohol. The mixture insists 1, 5–2 weeks in a cool dark place, then filtered. You need to apply the solution on the spot, seal the skin around the spike with a plaster or lubricate it with an oily 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 burned with salted water from canned cucumbers or tomatoes. To do this, take thick wool socks, soak them in salt water and put on. From above, wrap your feet with cling film or a bag. Apply the compress with clean, dry socks to create a greenhouse effect. Apply compresses in the evening, wash your feet in the morning with cool water. Procedures should be performed until all tubercles are resolved.