Spike in the foot - causes and treatment

Corns, small bruises on the heels, corns - all this can cause their owner slight discomfort. However, if the neoplasm causes sharp pain when walking, you should think about it and immediately consult a doctor. There is the possibility of triggering the appearance of symptoms such as a thorn in the foot - a type of wart that is usually located on the heels or toes and requires long-term treatment.

what is a peak

Plantar wart, goose or in Latin Verruca plantaris - 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 fixation in the deep layers of the skin. A small buildup can be healed through popular methods, and only deep freezing, laser removal and electrocoagulation methods help to completely remove the thorn in the foot.

The goose, which has grown deep into the skin, touches and injures nerve endings and can cause cracking of the surface of the foot and inflammation. Skin growths are mainly located 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 develop into a malignant tumor.

Characteristics of education

As a rule, the diameter of the plantar wart varies by 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, with clear boundaries. To the touch, the formation is very dense and painful. Under a microscope, black-brown spots can be seen in the center of the spine. If you carefully examine the growth after cooking the legs, you can see threads on the surface of the spines that have grown into every layer of the skin.

Plantar wart (peak) on foot

The first signs of appearance

Early in development, the tip of the foot 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 stem is clearly visible. When pressing on the foot, there is a sharp pain, as if needles or thorns are stuck in the foot. If the neoplasm is not removed immediately, new growths may appear nearby over time.

How does infection occur

Plantar wart is a viral disease that can be contracted through open wounds on the sole, by contact with a sick person or by shared objects. Bacteria are especially comfortable in a humid environment, so people with excessive foot perspiration are prone to pimples. Often, infection occurs after visiting swimming pools, showers, gyms. To prevent the appearance of a plantar wart, doctors recommend that you always carry personal hygiene products and swimming 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 actively multiply, 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. Among the factors that provoke the development of the virus in the body also include:

  • excessive sweating of palms, interdigital space, feet;
  • constant stress, overload, lack of sleep;
  • injuries, wounds or burns to the skin of the legs or hands;
  • exacerbation of chronic diseases;
  • infectious and viral diseases - flu, SARS, tonsillitis;
  • wearing uncomfortable or tight shoes;
  • flat foot;
  • 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 started, the lower the risk of wart processes growing deep into 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.

The doctor examines a patient's foot with a spike with a magnifying glass

Physical effect on the wart

Scalpel removal of papillomas is rarely used these days, as this method does not offer a 100% guarantee of eliminating the problem. The remaining processes in the skin layers can cause relapse and further growth of neoplasms. This treatment method 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 medications, when they reach the affected areas of the skin, cause cell necrosis, after which the keratinized particles are easily removed mechanically. It is worth noting that this option is painful and can provoke the appearance of scars and scars on the body. Preparations with chemical composition are of several types:

  • With 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, help smooth rough skin. In combination with other medicines, they potentiate 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 the papilloma.

immunotherapy

For a quick recovery, along with local remedies, doctors recommend using drugs that stimulate the immune system. For this, immunostimulants are prescribed. At home, immunotherapy consists of normalizing 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 cure 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, special preparations will help to remove it:

  • Ointment with salicylic acid - a remedy for external use. It has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effect. The ointment should be applied to pre-cooked and dried skin in a thin layer. To enhance the effect, an occlusive dressing can be applied on top. It is necessary to carry out the procedure until the papilloma disappears completely 1 time a day. If desired, the ointment can be replaced by special adhesives or a preparation based on salicylic and lactic acids.
  • Ointment with interferon alfa-2b is a drug that has antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. The ointment is applied in a thin layer 3-4 times a day to the lesions. The duration of the course of treatment is 4-7 days. Contraindications include: individual intolerance to the components and age of children up to one year.
  • A special pencil is a preparation containing silver with an antiseptic effect. The surface of the pencil is wetted 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 on the basis of a mixture of strong alkalis. Before use, the healthy skin around the papilloma must be lubricated with a greasy cream, after which a drop of the solution is applied strictly to the center of the growth. Treatment is carried out until complete burning of the plantar wart. It is worth mentioning 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 is available in tablet form. Capsules are taken orally with meals 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 product's active components destroy the neurological connection between dead cells. The product is made from urea, salicylic, citric and lactic acid. Sometimes it can provoke the appearance of adverse reactions in the form of burning, itching and redness of the skin at the application site.
  • Phenol and tricresol based liquid with mummifying effect. The method of use is the same as for treatment with an alkaline solution. The drug is contraindicated in the presence of moles close to the papilloma, with hypersensitivity and in children under 7 years of age.

How to remove a spike on a foot

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

cryodestruction

Burning the wart and its rhizomes with liquid nitrogen. Under the influence of cold, the papilloma body is destroyed, the area of inflammation is reduced, and more viruses and bacteria die. A small blister remains at the procedure site, which disappears on its own in a week and a half to two weeks. The procedure takes place without anesthesia and causes no pain. The disadvantages of the operation in a long recovery period and the possibility of injury to the skin next to the wart. You cannot undergo the cryodestruction procedure for cancer.

electrocoagulation

This method presents good results only in the initial stages of the appearance of thorns, when the filiform roots did not have time to reach a large part of the foot. The papilloma is removed when the skin is exposed to pulses of high-frequency current, due to which the tip of the foot and its rhizome are burned. The disadvantages of such an operation are pain: after the procedure, a bloody wound remains on the body. Scars can sometimes appear after electrical current removal.

pulsed laser treatment

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

Laser treatment for plantar wart

Spike on 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 to eliminate thorns on the feet, palms and toes:

  1. The spike in 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 and secure with a bandage. Put a sock on your foot and leave the compress overnight. The duration of this therapy is 3-4 sessions. By the same principle, you can make compresses from Kalanchoe, potatoes and garlic.
  2. Vinegar lotions help as well. To cook them, use fresh garlic and 9% table vinegar. Mix the ingredients until smooth and apply, after protecting healthy skin with a patch. The mixture is aged for about an hour and a half to two hours, after which it is washed off with warm water. To enhance the effect after lotions, it is recommended that the surface of the foot be treated 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 foot spike with iodine, it is necessary to regularly lubricate the affected areas of the body.
  4. A folk remedy by the type of alkaline preparation can be prepared at home. To do this, celandine leaves are collected, ground or 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 spot-on, sealing the skin around the tip 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 pickled cucumbers or canned tomatoes. To do this, take thick woolen socks, soak in brine and put on. From above, wrap the legs with plastic wrap or a bag. To create a greenhouse effect, secure the compress with a pair of clean, dry socks. Make a compress at night, wash your feet with cold water in the morning. Procedures should be carried out until all tubers are resolved.