FEET, PAINFUL GROWTHS ON SOLES OF
Description and Possible Medical Problems
As we grow older, we become attuned to the little aches and pains that, although they may not totally restrict our movement are nevertheless there—and they weren’t before. A creak in the knee during a walk or a knuckle that begins to swell the second you type for more than a certain number of minutes—these things are annoying, but we can still carry on.
When a pain occurs on the bottom of your foot, however, and makes it difficult to walk, it’s probably not just any old ache or pain but a plantar wart, also called a verruca plantaris. A plantar wart is caused by the same virus that’s responsible for the warts that appear on your hands, and it has a characteristic dark spot in the middle. One way in which it differs from the wart on your finger is that it is usually level with the surface of skin because of the pressure of walking, which makes it recede into the skin.
You can usually let an ordinary wart clear up by itself or use an over-the-counter preparation to freeze it so it falls off. With a plantar wart, however, you usually don’t have the luxury of time, since it hurts with every step.
If you have a plantar wart, you should see your doctor. He will use cryotherapy to freeze it off, lasers to burn it off, or topical medication such as an aspirin derivative or a mild acid, which will cause the wart to eventually dry up and fall off. Whatever removal method is used, it is not painful, and the wart should fall off in about four days.
*517\167\8*
