Posts for tag: warts
With your kids just starting back to school, it's important to be aware of potential foot problems they may have so they get off to the right start. Kids can't learn or play with other kids when they're in pain. And for kids who play soccer or other sports, foot pain is a non-starter.
Foot problems are not always obvious. Pain is not the only indicator that something might be wrong. Your kids may shy away from playing with their friends or avoid showing you their feet. A child that frequently trips and falls can also have a foot issue.
Other things you may see in a child under five are toe-walking, in-toeing and out-toeing, and flat feet. In a child age six or older you may hear them complain of knee, shin, or ankle pain or you may observe poor posture or knocked knees.
Painful Foot Conditions In Kids
Ingrown Toenails
Kids can develop ingrown toenails any time of year but they are more prone to develop them in the fall. Kids have been barefoot or in sandals most of the summer. Now when school starts they're in closed toed shoes and starting back to playing sports. Wearing shoes that are too short, repetitive trauma during sports and family history are the main culprits for young kids. Fortunately ingrown toenails can usually be resolved in one or two office calls through a short surgical procedure. Prevention of this foot problem includes purchasing new shoes for kids in a timely fashion and cutting their toenails straight across.
Warts
Children and especially teenagers are more susceptible to warts than adults. Warts are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). They are harmless but can be painful when found on the bottom of your kid's feet. Warts can spread easily to other parts of their body and to other kids through sharing clothing and towels. Warts are often treated with a topical medication or surgery. To prevent warts kids should avoid sharing towels with other kids or their siblings if they are already affected.
Plantar Fasciitis
If you have plantar fasciitis caused by flat feet it's not uncommon for your kids to suffer from this type of heel pain as well. Flat feet are inherited and the tendency to develop plantar fasciitis as a result is common.
Kids who don't outgrow their flat feet by ages four or five have a condition called developmental or pediatric flatfoot. They will have flat feet for the rest of their lives. To prevent plantar fasciitis and other conditions that result from flat feet, kids as young as four or five can be fitted with specially designed orthotics called Little Steps®. Older children will eventually need custom orthotics to keep their feet in proper alignment.
Sever's Disease
Another cause of heel pain in children is Sever's Disease. Muscle strain and inflamed tissue in the heel most often occurs when the heel plate is not fully closed (common in pre-adolescents and adolescents) and participation in sports adds stress to this part of the foot. Reduction of activity and custom orthotics will help greatly with this condition.
Frieberg's Disease
Injury to the growth plate in the ball of the foot is the cause of Frieberg's Disease. Girls are three times more likely to develop this condition than boys. Running and other activities can make the pain worse. Left untreated this condition can cause painful arthritis. Non-surgical treatment of this condition includes a combination of non-weight bearing, orthotics, wearing rocker bottom shoes, and stretching.
Toe-walking
Most kids will outgrow toe-walking. For those who continue to toe-walk after age two, some can walk flat footed but other children won't be able to due to the development of tight calf muscles and Achilles tendons resulting from toe-walking. Most toe-walking has no known cause. The podiatrist will check the child for any neurological problem to rule out a specific cause. Casting and bracing are the primary treatments for toe-walkers who cannot walk flat footed.
In-toeing
In-toeing or "Pigeon toes" are very common in young children and they usually outgrow this condition. In-toeing shouldn't cause any pain, but if it does your child should be evaluated by a podiatrist. Treatment for this condition depends on the cause. There are three types of developmental problems that cause in-toeing. Only severe metatarsus adductus (feet bend toward the middle part of the foot to the toes) is treated with casts or special shoes. Other causes of this condition resolve on their own.
Out-toeing
Out-toeing is much less common than in-toeing. It can run in families, affect older children, usually resolves on its own, and can have many causes. Often children who out-toe have no pain or problems with function. In some cases children limp or have pain in the hip, thigh, knee, or foot. Even if the out-toeing doesn't resolve most children are pain-free and can participate in sports. The need for surgical intervention is uncommon.
If your child is experiencing foot pain or your concerned about how they're walking, call us today at 206-368-7000 for an appointment. Often same day for emergencies and less than 2 weeks for chronic foot pain. You can also request an appointment online.
Your free foot book "No More Foot Pain" is waiting to be sent to your home.
In addition, our newsletter "Foot Sense" comes out monthly. You can also check out our past issues. Every issue contains a mouth-watering recipe and can be printed out for easier reading!
Seattle foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Rion Berg offers foot care for patients with bunions, heel pain, diabetes, fungal toenails, ingrown nails, and surgical solutions when needed to residents of Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and other surrounding suburbs.
Follow Dr. Berg on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+
It's August and it's almost back to school time. You're probably already thinking about buying your kids new clothes, school supplies, and making sure their computer is in good working order.
But have you thought about your kid's feet?
If you're a smart parent you have. You know that along with school books and a cool haircut, your kid's health matters when it comes to school success. If your kid is having foot pain they aren't going to be able to perform well in school, on or off the field.
Lots of parents have been bringing their children in recently for a variety of reasons. With over 30 years of practice, the Foot and Ankle Center of Lake City is the place to come for a solution to ending your kids foot pain.
Plantar Fasciitis
This common problem in adults is also common in older teens, particularly if they play sports that involve running. Think track, basketball, and soccer. If you know your child has had heel pain in the past, bring them in before the middle or high school sport's season begins. While some kids will only need an inexpensive insert such as Powerstep Insoles for Kids. others with flat feet or other faulty foot structure are more likely to need a prescriptive orthotic. I recommend that shoes are purchased every 500 miles and are designed for the sport your kid plays. Don't forget to have their feet measured every time you buy them new shoes.
Warts
Those ugly bumps on the bottom of your kid's feet are most likely warts. Caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), they spread easily and can turn into cluster warts through scratching and bleeding. If your kid has them it's best to catch them early to keep pain at bay. Reminding your kids to check the bottom of their feet a couple times a year is the best prevention. If your child says they have funny calluses or mentions pain when walking make an appointment with a Seattle podiatrist. At the Foot and Ankle Center of Lake City, we treat the warts with a topical medication or surgery.
Ingrown Toenails
If you've had ingrown toenails it's more likely that your child will get them too. As you know having an ingrown toenail can be extremely painful. If your kid says that have a painful toe, bring them in so we can determine if it's ingrown. Other risk factors in younger children and teens include repetitive activity such as kicking a soccer ball, wearing their shoes too tight, and cutting toenails improperly. Once the problem is there the only way to get rid of it is to make an appointment with your podiatrist. Don't ever try to solve this problem at home as an infection can develop easily.
Call us today at 206-368-7000 for an appointment. Often same day for emergencies and less than 2 weeks for chronic foot pain. You can also request an appointment online.
Your free foot book "No More Foot Pain" is waiting to be sent to your home.
In addition, our newsletter "Foot Sense" comes out monthly. You can also check out our past issues. Every issue contains a mouth-watering recipe and can be printed out for easier reading!
Seattle foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Rion Berg offers foot care for patients with bunions, heel pain, diabetes, fungal toenails, ingrown nails, and surgical solutions when needed to residents of Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and other surrounding suburbs.
You wake up one day and your toe is just killing you. You know you should have that ingrown toenail taken care of by your podiatrist, but you’re so busy you just can’t be bothered. Instead you decide to perform what I call “Bathroom Surgery”. What's that you’re probably thinking? It’s literally any procedure you decide to take on yourself where you’re puncturing the skin. I’ve had patients perform this on ingrown nails, warts, and corns. Just recently one of my patients came in after performing bathroom surgery on his ingrown nail and he came into my office with a terrible infection.
Although this doesn’t happen too often, I do see 2-3 cases of bathroom surgery on an ingrown toenail a year; usually by men. OK guys. Listen up. You probably perform all kinds of surgery on your car and other things around your house, but that doesn’t mean you should be monkeying around with your own toes.
So what can you do if you have a painful toe and you know it’s an ingrown nail?
-Treat your toe with kindness, instead of brute force; soak your throbbing toe in a foot bath.
-Stop playing sports so you don’t add insult to injury.
-Avoid tight shoes – if you have tight shoes that are irritating your toenail, wear ones that have a larger toe box.
-Get some new shoes- if you’re favorite tennis shoes are putting pressure on your achy toe, it’s time to buy some new shoes. As we age our feet get bigger, sometimes by a whole size. Don’t suffer needlessly.
Finally as your Seattle podiatrist I highly recommend you make an appointment with my office so you can have professional surgery on your toenail. You'll feel relief after the first visit.
Call us at 206-368-7000. Often same day for emergencies and less than 2 weeks for chronic foot pain. You can also request an appointment online.
Your free foot book "No More Foot Pain" is waiting to be sent to your home.
In addition, our newsletter "Foot Sense" comes out monthly. You can also check out our past issues. Every issue contains a mouth-watering recipe and can be printed out for easier reading!
Seattle foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Rion Berg offers foot care for patients with bunions, heel pain, diabetes, fungal toenails, ingrown nails, and surgical solutions when needed to residents of Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and other surrounding suburbs.
Corns and calluses are virtually the same thing; a thickening of the skin that forms in response to too much pressure. Commonly the larger areas forming under the ball of the foot are called calluses, and the smaller ones with a hard “core” are referred to as corns. These can form when there is too much pressure typically under one bone in the ball of the foot when it is lower than another. They can also form on the tops or tips of toes when there are hammertoes. The most important thing to understand, is that there are NO roots to a corn or callus. If there were a root, then removing the center of the corn would prevent it from coming back. The problem stems from pressure from a bone out of alignment , metatarsal or hammertoe, pressure from the top of the shoe, or pressure from wearing heels.
Warts are caused by a virus. They can look similar to a corn, but the wart is frequently more elevated, interrupts the normal skin lines, may increase in size and number grouped in a small area, and will bleed when trimmed superficially.
Seed Corns: these are very tiny, are sometimes grouped, and can be very painful. They are often confused with warts, as they can be grouped, but like other corns they really don’t have a root and will not go away easily.
Treatment of Corns and Calluses
Trimming of corns and calluses will bring temporary relief, along with padding or use of pads to offload the corn that have the center cut out. Toe separators may be used to alleviate the pressure causing corns between toes.Do Not use medicated corn pads or liquid corn remover containing salicylic acid. It is the fastest way to developing a severe inflammation or infection.If you have hammertoes, you may need shoes with a deeper toe box.
Seed corns are thought to be caused by very dry skin. They require professional care to restore the skin to a healthier deeper layer, and then begin an aggressive moisturizing program.
Warts are treated with many different methods. Before treating a wart, you should first see your podiatrist to be sure that this is the correct diagnosis. The treatment method chosen is based upon the degree of pain present, whether the number of warts is increasing, and must be matched to each individual’s work and play schedule. Warts can be very resistant to treatment, and it is not uncommon for more than one approach to be utilized to resolve them completely.
Call us today at 206-368-7000 for an appointment. Often same day for emergencies and less than 2 weeks for chronic foot pain. You can also request an appointment online.
For more information about foot and ankle problems, download our eBook, "No More Foot Pain".
In addition, our newsletter "Foot Sense" comes out monthly. You can also check out our past issues. Every issue contains a mouth-watering recipe and can be printed out for easier reading!
Seattle foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Rion Berg offers foot care for patients with bunions, heel pain, diabetes, fungal toenails, ingrown nails, and surgical solutions when needed to residents of Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and other surrounding suburbs.
Follow Dr. Berg on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+