I broke my ankle about three years ago in a car accident. I followed all of the doctor's instructions as my ankle healed, but something didn't heal quite right. Two and a half years later, I was still having severe pain and my doctor couldn't figure out why. He suggested that I see a podiatrist to have it looked at more closely. It turns out that there is a lot more to an ankle injury than I had known. Scroll through my site to find out what can really happen to your ankle when it is broken and what could cause the pain to continue long after the injury is sustained.
If you have hard patches of skin on your feet, particularly your heels and the sides of your feet, you might have calluses. These are not serious conditions, but should be treated so they don't worsen. Here are some different treatment options for calluses.
Try Natural Remedies
The first thing you can do is try some natural remedies to help get rid of the calluses. Remember that many calluses will go away on their own, but these natural remedies help to relieve the discomfort and speed up the healing process. One natural treatment to consider is soaking your feet in warm water with some mild soap in it. This lets you soften the calluses enough to start removing them with a pumice stone or coarse towel. You can also add some apple cider vinegar to the water to soften them even further. For more severe calluses and corns, apply castor oil to the area after soaking your feet. You can also apply vitamin E or A to the calluses, which helps speed up the healing process.
Improve Your Foot Support
Calluses are often caused from friction between your feet and shoes, which might be caused by not having proper foot support. Make sure your shoes are the right size. Tight shoes cause too much pressure and not enough breathing room, while too much friction is caused by shoes that move around too much because they are too big. You may also want to get some orthotic inserts for your shoes or try using moleskin pads on the calluses before putting on your shoes. If you are getting them frequently, see a podiatrist who can help you with shoe recommendations and possibly getting custom orthotics.
Use Over-the-Counter Remedies
There are also some store-bought remedies that work great on calluses. With calluses, you want to soften them in any way you can so that you can use a pumice stone or other filing product that helps to get rid of it. Moisturizing creams are often sold in drug stores that are specifically meant for this purpose. They also help when your calluses are cracking, which can be painful and lead to infection. If your calluses are causing itching on your feet, you can also use hydrocortisone cream. For plantar calluses, which are chronic and not easy to treat on your own, your doctor might need to surgically remove them. When waiting for calluses to heal, make sure your feet are always clean and dry.
For a podiatrist, contact a company such as Allied Ankle & Foot Care Centers PC.
Share17 March 2016
