Your feet are constantly in contact with pathogens, especially disease-causing bacteria and fungus. In fact, cleaning your feet is not enough to protect them from a Nashville foot infection – it takes the combined effort of your skin and immune system. So when either of these is compromised, pathogens can gain access to your foot tissue and multiply.
This can cause tissue breakdown, which can lead to uncomfortable symptoms. And while many foot infections are mild, some are serious enough to put you in the hospital. Here is a look at some infections you can treat at home and others that could be fatal.
Fungal Toenails
The fungus that causes fungal toenails is very similar to the one responsible for an athlete’s foot. When you develop a fungal toenail, the affected nail tends to discolor and weaken gradually, eventually crumbling away. This condition, in addition to being an aesthetic nightmare, can be very difficult to treat. This is because the fungi penetrate a small opening or wound in your feet and multiply immensely. Fungal infections, however, are not life-threatening. Their worst symptoms are pain and a bad odor.
Athlete’s Foot
Another fungal infection, athlete’s foot is caused by a common fungus found in moist, warm, dark conditions. It can also spread through skin-to-skin contact with an infected patient. Whichever way you get it, an athlete’s foot often causes mild to severe symptoms that may include itching, burning, or stinging scaly rash that appears between your toes and could spread across the foot if left untreated. The rash can smell unpleasant and can cause cracked, dry, and peeling skin, bumps, and blisters.
Plantar Warts
And while an athlete’s foot can easily get out of hand, you have more to worry about from plantar warts than the fungal infection. Plantar warts develop following contact with a type of HPV virus. They are highly contagious and often very painful because they develop in the deeper layers of the skin. Usually, plantar warts are yellow, gray, or brown with tiny spots and a rough or spongy feel. Their danger is that they tend to bleed if scraped or knocked and can cause untold pain.
Infected Ulcers
Even more serious than plantar warts are ulcers – deep, open sores caused by poor circulation in the feet. Ulcers are more prevalent in people with diabetes, in which case they are called diabetic ulcers. They form difficult-to-heal wounds that often get infected and progress into tissue death. In fact, more severe cases are known to develop into gangrene and require limb amputation.
Cellulitis
Perhaps the most serious foot infection you can get is cellulitis. This problem often starts as inflammation, typically in an injured area, that quickly attacks the surrounding tissue. Symptoms of cellulitis include warmth, pain, swelling, and red streaks progressing upward from your foot. Also called lymphangitis, these red streaks signify the infection moving toward your lymph nodes. If they get there, cellulitis can become systemic and possibly life-threatening. Always get immediate medical help if you notice cellulitis injuries accompanied by chills, high fever, body aches, and red streaks in your feet.
Foot Infections Are Treatable
The good news in all this is that foot infections are treatable. Even the most severe types like cellulitis can be reversed if caught in time. This is why getting a foot infection checked by a podiatrist is paramount. Whether your foot infection can be treated with OTC creams or requires surgery, you do not want to take the chance of finding out too late. Set up a consultation with a certified podiatrist today to get a proper diagnosis and treatment regimen for your foot infection.
