Military Officer - May 2007 - (Page 44)

askthedoctor Foot Problems Plantar warts, corns, and calluses can cause foot discomfort. Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, D.O., explains the causes of these painful conditions — and your options for treating them. P Use Caution With Home Treatments ■ Poor circulation and immune problems not only increase your risk of foot infections but also make them very difficult to treat. If age, diabetes, chemotherapy, or other factors increase your risk of foot infections, do not resort to home remedies for foot problems. lantar warts, corns, and calluses look similar, and it can be difﬁcult to tell them apart. But these foot problems have different causes and require different treatments. Plantar warts result from a virus infecting the skin. The virus causes the affected skin to grow faster than the skin around it, forming a wart. Unlike most warts elsewhere on the body, which look like cones on the skin, plantar warts are ﬂat because the pressure of walking pushes them into the foot. It can take several months to a year from the time of infection until the plantar wart and the skin around it become thickened due to increased pressure from walking on the slightly raised, emerging wart area. Because plantar warts are spread by a virus that thrives in warm, moist environments, going barefoot in wet areas such as shared shower stalls and around swimming pools increases your risk of infection. However, the risk of infection from any speciﬁc activity is very low; don’t let fear of plantar warts discourage these activities. Don’t share shoes and socks, especially if either person has a plantar wart or a history of them. Keep your feet clean and dry, and change your socks regularly. Corns and calluses are hard, round areas of thickened skin caused by uneven pressure on the foot, often due to a protruding bone. Corns form on the tops of the toes; calluses are on the sole of the foot. Soft corns can form between the toes, usually the fourth and ﬁfth toes. (These corns remain soft because of natural moistness between the toes.) There are slight differences in the appearance of warts, corns, and calluses. The ﬁne grooves or lines on the skin’s surface (like those that form ﬁngerprints) differ. With a plantar wart, the virus has changed the growth pattern of the skin, so these lines go in a circular direction around the lesion. With a corn or callus, the lines go in the same direction as on the surrounding area of the foot. Applying pressure to foot lesions also can help distinguish warts from corns and calluses: If pain results from squeezing the lesion at the sides, it is likely a plantar wart. If pain results from direct pressure, it is more likely a callus. Numerous treatments exist for warts, corns, and calluses. Plantar warts often are burned or frozen off with acidic chemicals or liquid nitrogen. They also can be removed surgically. Recurrence is common. Corns and calluses often are shaved off, but they generally will return if the pressure balance on the foot is not changed. Orthopedic inserts or bone surgery (such as to repair a hammertoe) can change the pressure balance. However, many patients choose to tolerate the discomfort of the callus. MO — Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, USPHS-Ret., D.O., M.A., is vice president, Health Sciences, Battelle Memorial Institute, Arlington, Va. Find more health and wellness resources at www .moaa.org/wellness. For submission information, see page 18. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT 44 MILITARY OFFICER M AY 2 0 0 7 http://www.moaa.org/wellness http://www.moaa.org/wellness

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - May 2007

Military Officer - May 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: Back Home Capt. David Porter, Pirate Hunter Where Valor Rests Emblems of Courage MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Advertising Index Member Books MOAA Calendar MOAA Scholarship Donors Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - May 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.