That painful spot on the bottom of your foot may not be a callus. It might be a dreaded plantar wart. For several weeks I had2 painful spots on the bottom of my left index toe. I thought it was just a painful corn that would eventually go away. Boy was I wrong!
It would always hurt the most after I would go to the gym and work out on the StairMaster. Eventually it got to the point that every step I took ranged from minor discomfort to burning pain. I was even starting to walk with a limp which after all my work to get back to 100% after my bunion surgery was the last thing I wanted to have happen.
When I told my wife about my painful corns and she said it sounded like a plantar wart. I decided I had dealt with this pain long enough so I made an appointment with my dermatologist and luckily they were able to see my quickly.
After a quick exam where the doctor looked at my foot and squeezed the spot he determined that it was indeed a plantar wart. I was like “crap how the heck did i get a plantar wart?” He put some acid on it and a bandage and told me to use over the counter treatment and come back in about 3 weeks.
What is a Plantar Wart?
Plantar wars are very common and can appear on your hands or bottom of your feet. A viral infection known as human papillomavirus (HPV) that takes hold in the top layer of skin causes these painful warts.
They can be spread between people and the transmission can be indirect. This means you can get them if you are barefoot in the gym locker room. This is where I think I got them even though I had socks on.
Treatment to Get Rid Plantar Warts
Let me save you a trip to the doctors office. If you believe you have a plantar wart you can most likely treat it with over the counter wart removers. But first you need to be sure that you do in fact have plantar warts. These are the symptoms:
- Hard callus on the skin that is painful when pressed. It feels like there is something painful under the skin. Note: make sure you don’t pick at it or it could spread. Bad news.
- Pain or discomfort when pressure is applied or when you walk or stand.
- A rough and grainy spot on the bottom of your foot or hand.
Dr Scholl’s Freeze Away worked wonders for me and killed my 2 warts after 3 treatments. This kit comes with everything you need to freeze the wart off. It sounds crazier than it actually is! You essentially use a canister that has liquid nitrogen to freeze an applicator tip that you press against the wart for several seconds per the instructions. It will be slightly uncomfortable and you will probably feel a burning/tingling sensation.
This product works and I now have no sight that there was ever a couple of warts on my foot! So if you are suffering from these symptoms give this a try.
