How to Tell If You Have Plantar Warts
Stepping on a small, hard spot on the bottom of your foot can feel exactly like stepping on something stuck inside your shoe. If that feeling is persistent, though, you might be dealing with Plantar Warts. These common foot invaders are often mistaken for calluses or simple hard skin, but they are a viral infection that needs specific attention. Allow us at Goldsmith Podiatry to teach you the signs in this blog post.
What is a Plantar Wart?
A plantar wart is a small growth on the sole of your foot caused by the Human Papillomavirus (ever heard of HPV?). They are highly contagious and thrive in warm, moist environments like public showers and locker rooms, so be careful this fall sports season if you’re on a team.
Also, the pressure of standing and walking forces the wart inward, which is why it causes a feeling like something is digging into your foot.
Top Giveaways of Plantar Warts
Since warts can be flat and covered by hard skin, you need to look for a few distinct features:
The Pebble Feeling: Similar to a neuroma, this odd sensation is usually sharp when pressure is applied directly to the wart.
Tiny Black Dots: This is often the biggest giveaway that distinguishes a wart from a callus. These small black specks are actually tiny clotted blood vessels, sometimes called seeds. When you shave or file down a callus, you won't see these dots, but they will be visible in a plantar wart.
Interrupted Skin Lines: The skin on your feet naturally forms clear lines like a fingerprint. A wart interrupts these lines; the skin lines go around the wart instead of continuing over it. A callus, however, will usually have the skin lines continuing over its surface.
Tenderness When Pinched: If you squeeze a callus from side to side, it generally doesn't hurt. However, a plantar wart is often very tender when you pinch the area.
How Plantar Warts Spread and Who is at Risk
Warts are easily spread through direct contact with contaminated surfaces, so you can pick up the virus by simply walking barefoot in communal areas.
Once you have one wart, it can spread easily across your foot and form a cluster known as a mosaic wart.
Children, teens, and people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible because their bodies are less effective at fighting off the HPV virus.
What to Do Next for Your Plantar Warts
If you suspect you have a plantar wart, resist the urge to ignore it or treat it with home remedies that involve sharp objects. Warts can be incredibly stubborn, and aggressive home treatment can often cause them to spread or lead to infection.
If you’re looking for more foot care tips, give us a call at (212) 877 1002 so Dr. Howard Goldsmith, Dr. Rosanna Troia, and Dr. Kristina T. Ruff at Goldsmith Podiatry can help guide you in the right direction.