TENNIS TOE Treatment

Tennis toe is caused by friction between the nail and shoe, and is the result of bleeding under the toenails. When blood is trapped beneath the nail, pressure on nerve endings results, causing a blue­-black discoloration and potentially severe pain. Repeated abrupt stops which force the toenail against the end of the shoe can precipitate bleeding.

TENNIS TOE Treatment

Treatment is unnecessary except to control pain. Hot soaks and rest are helpful, but relief is dramatic when the pressure under the nail is released by draining the blood. This can be done by heating the end of a paper clip until it is red hot, then inserting it through the surface of the nail into the collection of blood. The paper clip melts its way through the nail plate. This procedure is not as pain­ful as it sounds because the clip passes through the nail into the blood-filled space, and neither the nail nor the blood contain nerve endings. The same result may be obtained by drilling a hole through the nail with a hypodermic needle.

TENNIS TOE Prevention

Again, well-fitting shoes and properly trimmed toenails are the best defense against the shearing forces that cause bleeding from the nail bed.

How to Get Rid of WARTS ?

Warts can be found anywhere on the feet and are often con­fused with corns and calluses. Single warts on the soles are usually surrounded by large masses of callus, and may be quite tender. Mosaic warts, often seen on the heels, are large, flat, diffuse warts that do not become very thick. Warts, like corns, interrupt the normal ridges of the skin. The wart itself contains fine capillaries or blood vessels, which appear on the surface as black or dark brown spots, often referred to as "seeds". When the wart is shaved down, these seeds may exude tiny droplets of blood, revealing their origin from blood vessels.

Warts and corns are usually quite tender when direct pressure is applied to them. On the other hand, pain produced by pinching an area from the sides, between thumb and forefinger, indicates the probable presence of a wart.

You should not hesitate to seek the services of a podiatrist, dermatologist, or orthopedic surgeon for the correction of under­ lying structural or functional imbalances, perhaps through well ­designed inserts or orthotics, or surgery to correct stubborn lesions.

It is reasonable to leave warts untreated if they are not painful and not increasing in number or size. Physicians and podiatrists treat warts with surgery, electro-surgery, freezing, strong acids, and other chemicals.

WARTS Prevention:

The importance of shoes that fit properly and the elimination of areas that produce friction has been emphasized.