21 Common Foot Problems and How to Treat Them

With 26 individual bones, 33 joints and over 120 tendons, muscles, nerves and ligaments in each foot, it’s no wonder foot problems are some of the leading causes of visits to doctors and podiatrists. In fact, up to 87% of people experience some type of foot pain during their lifetime.¹

These weight-bearing marvels keep us upright and take us from point A to B, day in and day out. Unfortunately, even a minor injury can impair mobility. Here’s a look at some of the most common foot problems and how to treat them, plus tips to help you avoid trouble.

1. Athlete's Foot

Athlete's foot is a type of fungal infection that is extremely contagious — you can pick it up in pools, changing rooms, showers and other public areas where walking around barefoot is the norm. Symptoms of athlete's foot include redness, itching, scaling, blistering and cracking of the skin of the feet and between the toes.²

Without treatment, the infection can spread to your toenails and other areas of your body.²

How to treat athlete's foot

Treatment for athlete's foot consists of over-the-counter antifungal creams or sprays and oral antifungal medications that your podiatrist can prescribe. In addition, you'll need to keep your feet dry and avoid wearing the same shoes daily so they have a chance to dry out completely between wearings.²

2. Blisters

Blisters are fluid-filled skin irritations that occur when your feet encounter the friction of loose or ill-fitting shoes and socks. Blisters form quickly, so if you notice that your foot is developing one while out walking or running, immediately stop and pad or cover the area to keep it from becoming worse.²

To prevent blisters from forming, wear shoes that aren't too large for your feet and snug socks that won't bunch up. Use powder to prevent any sweat buildup within your shoes that could cause friction.

How to treat foot blisters

Most blisters don't require the help of a podiatrist unless you have diabetes, which can slow the healing process. Don't pop the blister; instead, apply antibiotic ointment and cover the area to protect it from friction until it heals, usually within a week.²

3. Bunions

Bunions are large, bony lumps that occur at the base of the big toe due to a misalignment of the joint. This type of foot deformity, known as hallux valgus, is usually genetic and exacerbated by wearing tight or narrow shoes.²

If you notice a large, hard lump jutting out from the inner side of your foot at the toe joint, you may have a bunion. Other symptoms include a big toe that angles toward the second toe or a large, fluid-filled sac in the same area as the bunion.²

How to treat bunions

To correct the bunion, your doctor may recommend surgery in severe cases. Other treatments include therapeutic exercises, orthotics, special shoes or splints to straighten the toes.²

4. Calluses

Calluses are areas of hardened skin that occur on the bottom of the feet due to friction. They can be caused by how you walk, a deformity of the bones in your feet or improperly fitting shoes.²

Calluses may or may not cause you pain and can become more common as you age and your skin becomes thinner. Gently buffing at the callus with a foot file or pumice stone after a bath can help remove it, along with applying foot cream to the area.²

How to treat calluses

See a podiatrist (especially if you have diabetes) who can safely remove the hardened skin of the callus and provide padding or orthotic insoles that can help prevent the callus from returning.²

5. Corns

Corns are hardened areas of skin, similar to calluses, that form over joints and other bony areas of the foot rather than just on the sole. These hardened lumps may cause pain if they press on a nerve.²

If you notice a stiff area of skin (or a cluster of them) on your foot, you likely have a corn. Some may even have nerves and blood vessels within them.²

How to treat corns

Your podiatrist can safely remove corns of all types, including those that cause pain. This is especially important if you have diabetes, which can lead to complications if you try to treat the corns yourself with home remedies.²

6. Flat Feet

If you have low arches, then you have what is commonly referred to as flat feet. Flat feet are either caused by genetics, arthritis, injuries to the tendon of the foot, joint hypermobility or abnormal bone formation.²

Most cases of flat feet won't impede your ability to walk normally but can sometimes cause pain or foot fatigue when walking.²

How to treat flat feet

Podiatrists will usually treat your flat feet with special orthotics to support them, rigid footwear or foot braces, cortisone injections, pain medication and physical therapy. Only in very serious cases will you need surgery to correct your flat feet.²

7. Gout

Gout is a medical condition that occurs due to a buildup of uric acid in the bloodstream. This condition manifests itself in your feet, resulting in extreme pain and inflammation of the joints in your toes, ankles or knees.²

Without treatment, gout can result in kidney stones and acute pain in the feet, especially the toes, which returns every few months.²

How to treat gout

To treat gout, your doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory medications and recommend orthotic footwear to support your feet and prevent further inflammation. They may also recommend lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding alcohol and including plenty of vitamin C in your diet.²

8. Hammertoe

A hammertoe is a type of deformity that can affect any toe but commonly affects the second toe. It occurs when the middle joint of the toe sticks out and the toe bends forward, taking on the shape of a hammer.³

Typically, wearing shoes that are too tight for your feet can cause hammertoes. You may also develop a corn at the middle joint.³

How to treat a hammertoe

To treat a hammertoe, your podiatrist may recommend padding the protruding joint or wearing special shoes to accommodate it. In serious cases, you may need surgery to treat this condition.³

9. Heel Spurs

A heel spur is a type of irregular bone growth that occurs where the heel bone connects to the plantar fascia. When the shock-absorbing plantar fascia becomes stretched and inflamed, it will prompt the body to grow extra bone in the area to deal with the stress of the injury.³

Heel spurs result in heel pain, and their causes include ill-fitting shoes, running and being overweight. Wearing shoes that fit properly and stretching before you exercise can help prevent heel spurs.³

How to treat heel spurs

Your podiatrist may recommend rest, cold packs and corticosteroid injections to help with the pain of heel spurs. In serious cases, you may need surgery to correct them.³

10. Ingrown Toenails

When the sides of your toenail grow into the skin of the toe, you'll wind up with an ingrown toenail. Signs of an ingrown toenail include pain and inflammation or pus in the area around the nail.²

Causes of ingrown toenails include how you cut your toenails, the way you walk or stand, frequently experiencing sweaty feet or wearing very tight shoes. Seeing your podiatrist is very important for ingrown toenails, especially if you have diabetes, which can cause complications with healing.²

How to treat ingrown toenails

Your doctor will cut away the part of the nail that's growing into the toe and give you oral antibiotics if the area is infected. For those with persistent ingrown toenails, the podiatrist may recommend the permanent removal of some or all of the toenails.²

11. Morton's Neuroma

When noncancerous tissue builds up within the nerves that run along the long bones of the foot — most commonly between the bones that lead to the third and fourth toes — the result is Morton's neuroma. It's caused by two bones rubbing together and squeezing the nerve between them.³

Symptoms of Morton's neuroma are pain, swelling, tenderness, burning, tingling and numbness in the area of the toes, usually after walking or standing for long periods.³

How to treat Morton's neuroma

To treat your Morton's neuroma, your podiatrist will likely recommend rest, nonrestrictive footwear or cortisone injections to help with inflammation.³

12. Neuropathy

When your peripheral nervous system becomes impaired, you may experience a condition known as neuropathy. The most common type, diabetic neuropathy, can lead to damage to the nerve fibers of the legs and feet.⁴

Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include numbness in extremities like the feet, burning pain or paralysis. This type of neuropathy results from elevated sugar levels in the body.⁴

How to treat neuropathy

Although neuropathy has no cure, your doctor will first treat your diabetes and then address your condition symptomatically with medication or lidocaine injections. They may also prescribe other medications or recommend surgery to destroy the damaged nerves.⁴

13. Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the thick band of connective tissue known as the plantar fascia becomes irritated and inflamed. The plantar fascia is located at the bottom of the foot between your toes and heel.³

When you put weight on your plantar fascia by standing, it stretches and can become injured with excessive walking or running. Extreme heel pain is a symptom of plantar fasciitis.³

How to treat plantar fasciitis

Your doctor may recommend rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, ice packs for your foot and stretching exercises for the Achilles tendons and plantar fascia.³

14. Plantar Warts

Plantar warts, also known as verrucae, are cauliflower-like growths that occur on the soles of your feet. They have tiny black dots and cause pain when you squeeze the area around them.²

Plantar warts, which result from the human papillomavirus (HPV), spread through direct or indirect contact with infected individuals. They are predominantly observed in younger people. The virus often transmits to people's feet in communal areas like public pools, where walking barefoot is common.²

How to treat plantar warts

While plantar warts can sometimes resolve on their own, your podiatrist may recommend removing them with acid-based treatments, cryotherapy, laser or excisional surgery, needling or microwave therapy.²

15. Sesamoiditis

When the sesamoid bones located beneath the joint of the big toe become inflamed, it can cause a painful condition known as sesamoiditis. It usually results from activities like ballet and running, which involve strongly pushing off with or bending your toes.⁵

Symptoms of sesamoiditis include pain and inflammation in the area of the big toe.⁵

How to treat sesamoiditis

To treat sesamoiditis, your podiatrist may recommend a variety of treatments, including steroid injections, anti-inflammatory medication, immobilization of the big toe and special orthotics.⁶

16. Stress Fractures

Stress fractures are small, hairline cracks in the bones of the feet. They are usually caused by excessive, strenuous or repetitive exercise.⁵

Symptoms of stress fractures include pain and swelling in the injured area and can occur anywhere on the foot or ankle.⁵

How to treat a stress fracture in your foot

To treat a stress fracture, see your podiatrist, who will usually recommend resting the injured foot until the bone has a chance to heal. Without treatment, a stress fracture can become a full fracture and require a cast.⁶

17. Sweaty Feet

Sweaty feet are not only annoying, but they can also cause embarrassing odors and even lead to blisters and fungal infections like athlete's foot. While some foot perspiration is normal, especially in the summer, overactive sweat glands can lead to excessively sweaty feet.²

How to treat sweaty feet

To treat sweaty feet, wash them daily with antibacterial soap and use foot powder to absorb excess moisture. Rotating your shoes between wearings to ensure they are dry can also help. In some cases, your doctor might recommend BOTOX® injections or an electrical stimulation treatment called iontophoresis, which can help calm overactive sweat glands.²

18. Toenail fungus

When athlete's foot goes untreated, it can spread to your toenails, becoming harder to treat. Toenail fungus causes the nails to become yellow in color and thicker in texture.²

How to treat toenail fungus

To treat toenail fungus, your podiatrist may recommend an oral antifungal medication and cut back the nails significantly to expose the nail bed and keep it dry. While some over-the-counter remedies such as nail lacquers may treat your toenail fungus, they can take up to a year or more to work.²

19. Warts on Feet

In addition to plantar warts that appear on the bottoms of your feet and have a rough, spongy surface with black specks, you may also suffer from other types of foot warts. Different strains of HPV can cause flat warts and common warts that appear anywhere on the feet, including under the toenails.⁷

Warts of any kind are spread through direct or indirect contact with those infected with HPV. If you find small and flat or rough-surfaced growths on your feet, you may have warts.⁷

How to treat warts on feet

With time, most warts can resolve on their own, especially in children. However, your doctor may recommend the removal of the wart through surgery or using various other treatments, such as cryotherapy, salicylic acid or other topical agents.⁷

20. Bursitis

When a bursa in your foot becomes inflamed, you could experience bursitis. Bursae are located beside tendons that are near large joints, such as the one between the heel and the Achilles tendon.⁸

Posterior Achilles tendon bursitis can cause pain, swelling and difficulty walking.⁸

How to treat bursitis

Your doctor may recommend several treatments for bursitis, including rest, ice, steroid injections, anti-inflammatory and pain medications or surgical drainage or removal of the bursa. If you have diabetes or gout, you may be more prone to developing bursitis. Your doctor will likely emphasize the importance of managing those conditions to help prevent bursitis or reduce its severity.⁸

21. Dislocation of Toes

When the bones of your toe joints become separated and dislodged from their normal position, it can lead to a dislocated toe. The toe may be fully or partially dislocated.⁹

Toe dislocation usually happens as a result of an injury and may accompany a stress fracture. Signs of a dislocated toe include pain, swelling, visible toe deformity, numbness and trouble wiggling it.⁹

How to treat a dislocated toe

Your doctor will either manually reposition the bones of the toes with local anesthesia or do so with surgery. After treatment, you'll need to rest your toe until it heals.⁹

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Author Bio

Susan Paretts is a freelance writer with 20 years of experience covering health and wellness, pet care and more. Her work has been published by the American Kennel Club, Bayer Animal Health, Elanco, LIVESTRONG.com, The San Francisco Chronicle, Chewy and more.