Five common foot problems and how to prevent them

Feet carry us thousands of steps a day, and most of the problems that bring people to a foot specialist are common, familiar and often preventable. Here are five of the most frequent, and how to keep them from starting.

1. Heel pain (plantar fasciitis)

What it is: pain under the heel, worst with the first steps in the morning.^[3]

Prevention: supportive shoes (not flat, flimsy ones), especially if you stand for long hours; calf stretching; building up running or walking mileage gradually; and keeping a healthy weight.

Early care: stretching and strengthening are at least as effective as anti-inflammatory medicine or steroid injections for most people.^[2] See plantar fasciitis stretches.

2. Bunions

What it is: a bump at the base of the big toe as the toe drifts inward. Foot shape runs in families, but tight, narrow shoes and high heels make them worse and more painful.^[4]

Prevention and early care: shoes with a wide toe box and a low heel. Wide-toe-box shoes are the first-line treatment for a painful bunion.^[2] See bunions: what helps.

3. Ingrown toenails

What it is: a nail edge growing into the skin, usually on the big toe.

Prevention: cut nails straight across and not too short, leave the corners, and avoid tight shoes. Cutting nails too short is the most common cause.^[5]

Early care: warm soaks and roomy shoes often settle a mild one. Don’t dig out the corner (“bathroom surgery” usually makes it worse), and have it seen if the toe becomes red, swollen or starts to drain.^[5]

4. Athlete’s foot and fungal nails

What it is: a fungal infection of the skin (itching, peeling, cracking between the toes) that can spread to the nails.

Prevention: dry carefully between the toes, change socks daily, rotate shoes, and wear sandals in locker rooms and communal showers.^[6]

Early care: over-the-counter topical antifungals, particularly the allylamines, are effective for the skin.^[2,7] Nails are harder to treat. See toenail fungus treatment.

5. Plantar warts

What it is: a viral infection of the skin on the sole, often picked up in damp public places.

Prevention: sandals at the pool and gym, don’t share shoes or towels, and don’t pick at warts.

Early care: over-the-counter salicylic acid is a reasonable first treatment.^[2,8] See plantar wart or callus?

The habits that prevent the most problems

• Wear shoes that fit. In a systematic review, 63% to 72% of people wore shoes that didn’t match their foot length or width, and poor fit was linked to foot pain, toe deformities, corns and calluses.^[1] See how to choose shoes that fit.
• Keep feet clean and dry, especially between the toes.
• Trim nails straight across.
• Build up activity gradually.
• Look at your feet, every day if you have diabetes. See the daily diabetic foot check.

Common questions

Should I pop a blister?

It’s best not to. The skin over a blister protects the raw area underneath, so leave it intact, cover it with a padded dressing, and take the pressure off. If it bursts, wash it gently and keep it covered. If you have diabetes or poor circulation, have any blister on your foot checked.

Is foot pain just part of getting older?

No. Foot problems are more common with age, but they are also linked to falls in older people, and podiatry care that includes exercises, footwear and orthoses reduced falls in a systematic review.^[9,10] Pain that changes how you walk is worth treating at any age.

When is it more than a home-care problem?

When it lasts more than a few weeks, keeps coming back, or changes how you walk, and straight away if you have diabetes, poor circulation or neuropathy. Our article on who needs a regular foot check-up goes into more detail.

When to see a podiatrist