As soon as the runner notices a painful spot, such as a wart on the lower part of the foot, they want to know what it is, how it happened and how they can get rid of it.
Plantar wart - a wart on the bottom (called the “plantar surface” by pedal doctors) of the foot. Plantar wart is caused by the human papilloma virus, which penetrates tiny tears on the surface of the skin. The difference is that the skin on the lower part of the foot is much thicker than in other places, so the warts often require different treatment. This is especially true for runners.
The reason why the wart on the lower part of the foot hurts is that the virus causes skin irritation and thickening. This hard, thick skin does not smooth out, so it falls into the lower part of the foot, causing pain when passing. It almost looks like a small rock is stuck on your foot. Unfortunately for runners, OTC warts do not work very well.
Although it is very easy for an orthopedist to cure a wart, in some cases the treatment may be worse than the disease. When considering the treatment of warts in a runner, it is important to make sure that you do not have another painful problem with your leg from the procedure for removing warts. If you understand that you have treatment options, you can choose the best treatment for you.
The 3 worst wart treatments for runners
Surgery
Surgical removal can lead to a painful surgical scar. Since the wart is usually under high pressure (for example, the heel or the ball of the foot), you want to make sure that you do not have a painful scar. Cutting in the leg with a scalpel will cause a scar. Cutting warts in surgery should always be the most recent remedy for runners.
Hyfrecation
Burning (also known as hyfrecation) can remove a wart, but it is also difficult to avoid scar formation. Like surgery, burning a wart with a surgical electric current can result in an equally painful scar. A painful scar is as bad as a painful wart when you run.
A liquid nitrogen
Freezing warts with liquid nitrogen are very effective on your arm, elbows and parts of your body that you do not go to. But the skin on the lower part of the foot (called the plantar skin) is very thick. Because it is so thick, it is more difficult to get effective treatment than on other parts of the body.
3 best warts treatments for runners
Cimetidine Oral Therapy
Tagamet (also known as cimetidine) is a pill commonly used for stomach problems, such as stomach ulcers, reflux disease, and heartburn. Some years ago, someone discovered that plantar warts began to disappear when patients took high doses of cimetidine. Doctors believe that it modulates the immune system and helps the body kill the virus.
Studies on the treatment of cimetidine warts show that it is 84% effective in treating warts in children and 75% effective for adults. Since it is prescribed at high doses, your orthopedist must determine the correct dosage and write a prescription. It is safe, effective and has very few side effects. Most importantly, there is no risk of getting a painful scar.
Candida Antigen Therapy
Candida is a type of yeast that many people suffer from allergies. One of the new and highly effective methods of treatment is antigen candidiasis. In this treatment, your orthopedist injects a candidal antigen (a cell marker that causes an allergic reaction) directly into the wart.
It causes a strong immune response. The immune system of your body then invades the plantar wart to remove antigen particles. The immune cells then seem confused as to whether it is a candida antigen or a wart virus that causes the problem, so it continues to attack and destroy both. As a result, you get the medicine without any risk of a scar.
Blister agents
Canthacur is a chemical irritant that is applied to the wart by your foot doctor. The main active ingredient is Cantharidin, which is derived from the beetle beetle. The way he works is that he causes the formation of a blister, which leads to a fall of the wart.
Your orthopedist will cut stale, apply a small amount of the chemical, and then cover it with tape so that the chemical does not spread to healthy skin. It is usually painless when applied. Apparently, the treated area may begin to produce a slight burning sensation later in the day. If all goes well, the blister is formed just below the wart. When the blister smoothes and dries, the wart exfoliates with blistering skin when it heals.
Canthacur wart treatment is a good choice for runners, as it illegally causes permanent scars on the lower part of the foot. The main disadvantage of runners is that you have to deal with a blister for several days. So do not let your doctor do it right before the big race!
The bottom line with plantar warts is that you need to make your activity level, implementation schedule, and upcoming racing goals clear to your orthopedic surgeon before treatment begins. This will help you get the best chance of a painless treatment and run faster on the road.
