Spike on the heel: treatment at home. Spikes on the heels: treatment with folk remedies

Heel spikes are a common condition that can affect anyone, regardless of age. Such a formation may not cause any inconvenience to a person, but most often it becomes inflamed and causes unbearable pain. In this case, it is difficult for a person to step on the entire foot. How to get rid of thorns on your heels - this question worries everyone who has encountered such a problem. First of all, it is important to identify the cause of heel spurs.

Symptoms

A spike on the heel causes severe pain when walking. The disease begins with the formation of a vertical growth on the periosteum on the heel tubercle, which increases over time. The growth puts a lot of pressure on the soft tissues, causing pain. In the early stages, the pain is annoying mainly in the morning and after prolonged sitting. In the evening the pain becomes more intense. Sometimes pain is accompanied by inflammation and redness.

You can suspect a thorn on the heel by sharp pain in this area, in the absence of injuries or bruises. Very often, the pathological process begins to develop as a result of inflammation; the anatomical features of the foot have nothing to do with the occurrence of the disease.

Medicines for plantar warts

The composition of drugs for removing papillomas includes antiviral compounds, immunomodulators or substances that loosen the stratum corneum of the skin. Pathogens that suppress the reproduction include:

Fluorouracil: 5% cream for topical use, activates protective cells, slows the growth of warts;
Imiquimod: promotes the production of interferons, prevents further damage to the skin;
Viferon: gel for external application, has high antiviral activity.

These drugs have virtually no side effects, but at an advanced stage of papillomatosis they are ineffective. To destroy and remove large warts, keratolytics, necrotizing agents, and cryogenic agents are used. All of them require careful handling, as they contain acids, alkalis and other chemically active components. Dermatologist approval is required before use.

Popular remedies for warts:

Salipod: a patch with salicylic acid, softens the affected layers of the skin, allowing you to remove the wart and get to its root;
Super celandine: a solution that “burns out” the keratinized layers, promotes necrotization and death of papillomas;
Cryopharma: a solution in aerosol form, contains a nitrogenous compound that freezes areas of affected tissue.

These medications must be applied pointwise to warts, strictly following the instructions so as not to damage healthy skin. The period of death of warts after their use: from 5 to 20 days. In advanced cases, you need to repeat the procedure. Remains of papillomas must be removed mechanically, and wounds must be treated with iodine solution.

Diagnostics

If you notice such symptoms, you should consult a doctor. Based on a clinical examination, as well as additional research methods (x-rays), the doctor will make a diagnosis and choose a treatment method. Treatment must begin as early as possible; if the disease progresses, the spikes on the heels may have to be surgically removed.

Technique for removing a splinter from the foot

For the procedure you will need tweezers, a magnifying glass, a needle, and medical alcohol. If you don’t have any of the things described, do not begin the manipulation of removing the splinter (it is better to send someone to the store and pharmacy than to infect the wound).

Using a magnifying glass, we carefully examine the area of the puncture, trying to find the tip of the splinter (if there is a splinter in the foot, this may be impossible).

Photo Gallery: Extraction Tools

Even if the tip of the splinter is visible, it is impossible to pull the splinter out without softening the skin, since the high density of the surrounding tissues (in the case of a splinter in the foot) will lead to a break in the shaft of the foreign body - then it will be much more difficult to get it out.

Before manipulation, the needle and tweezers are treated with an antiseptic. It is best to carry out the manipulation with gloves (you should at least wash your hands).

When a splinter enters the body at a right (or close to right) angle, the sequence of actions is as follows:

using a magnifying glass, determine exactly at what angle you need to pull the tip of the foreign body;
using tweezers, pull the splinter as it penetrates;
examine the wound after removal so that part of the splinter does not go unnoticed;
Treat the wound with alcohol, you can apply a medicinal plaster.

If the splinter has entered parallel to the skin, it is removed using a needle. To do this, we carefully pierce the softened skin under the splinter, and with a sharp tip we squeeze the splinter towards the puncture hole, and then we intercept it and pull it out with tweezers.

Be prepared that you will have to seek help from a specialist

If there is any doubt whether all the splinter has come out, then after the manipulation it is necessary to apply Vishnevsky ointment - this will help get rid of the remnants of the foreign body.

If the place where the splinter was begins to turn red, hurt and pulsate, this means that the purulent process could not be prevented. In this case, you must immediately contact a surgeon for assistance.

The abscess is opened, washed, local, and in severe cases, systemic antibacterial drugs can be prescribed.

Removing a splinter from your foot, following the principles described above, is quite simple. Follow the antiseptic rules, take your time, and you can emerge victorious, even from a collision with the most unpleasant splinters.

Medical procedures

To alleviate the patient's condition, injections of drugs containing hormones and lidocaine are prescribed. The injection is injected into the area where the spike is located. This procedure helps relieve inflammation and pain. Massage treatments and laser therapy are useful.

To effectively treat a thorn on the heel, physiotherapy is used. The growth is removed using the shock wave method. A special device is attached to the problem area, which sends waves that destroy the growth. To get rid of the problem, two procedures are enough.

Gymnastic exercises are very effective for treating heel spurs. During exercise, blood circulation and general condition of the body improves. You can do gymnastics at home.

Features of a splinter in the foot

The skin on the feet is designed to become rough, so a splinter in the heel is an unusual condition for the body

The skin on the feet of most people is quite dense, and is anatomically designed to be rough, preventing splinters at all.

Since we practically don’t walk barefoot on the ground, and we brutally fight attempts at hormonal keratinization of the skin, our body is faced with a situation that, in principle, should not exist.

When walking, the entire weight of an upright primate falls on the foot, and not all at once - on the heel or on the toe. As a result, the splinter penetrates deeply, the thick skin fixes the foreign body, and the base breaks off under pressure almost immediately.

Standard methods for removing splinters do not work here; special skill and preparation are required.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies are the safest and most accessible method that helps cure a thorn on the heel. Treatment at home should be carried out regularly to achieve maximum effect.

Salt baths

To carry out the procedure, you will need five liters of hot water in which a kilogram of table salt is dissolved. You need to steam your feet for at least half an hour. After the procedure is completed, the feet are wiped and the heels are lubricated with iodine. The feet are wrapped in polyethylene, socks are put on and left overnight.

Walnut peel baths

The green peel of the walnut is used to prepare a strong infusion. The feet are steamed until the infusion cools down; after the procedure, they are not rinsed or wiped. The course of treatment is ten days.

Bath of salt, soda and iodine

One hundred grams of salt, five tablespoons of soda are dissolved in hot water, iodine (eight drops) is added. The feet are steamed for 15 minutes, then lubricated with vegetable oil, massaging problem areas.

Mashed potato compress

Boil potatoes “in their jackets” (6-7 pieces), drain the water and, adding a little kerosene, mash them into a puree. While the puree has not cooled down, put the sore foot in it and hold it for about 15 minutes. After this, wash the feet, dry them thoroughly and put on socks. The procedure is done before bedtime.

Garlic compress

To prepare a compress, garlic is finely ground and applied to the foot for three to four hours. But this procedure should not be done at night, as it can cause severe skin burns. To avoid this, add vegetable oil to the garlic pulp. The procedure is carried out until the pain disappears.

You can add chalk in powder form (1:1) to the garlic pulp. The compress is applied to the steamed legs. After several sessions the condition should improve.

Onion compress

The procedure is done at night. Finely grate the onion head, put it in a bag and put the leg in there, wrap it on top. In the morning, the foot is not washed, but simply wiped. You need to repeat the procedure two or three times.

Honey compress

A cabbage leaf is smeared with honey, secured on the foot overnight, then washed off with water. Repeat at least three times.

You can mix part honey and part sea salt. The mixture is applied overnight.

For treatment, you can use a honey cake. To prepare it, flour is added to honey to form a dough. A flat cake is applied to the steamed foot, wrapped in polyethylene and a warm scarf or cloth. The procedure must be repeated ten times.

Compress with laundry soap

For this recipe, take a napkin made of flax or burdock (fuzzy side up), lather it with soap and attach it to the foot using a plastic bag. The leg is wrapped with a warm scarf on top.

Black radish compress

Preparing to remove a splinter from your foot

A splinter will not come out of your foot on its own.

We must remember one simple fact - a splinter will not come out of your foot on its own.

On the other hand, the density of the surrounding tissues and the anatomy of the foot prevents the rapid development of inflammation and pus. You have 6 hours to calmly prepare the skin and remove the foreign body. After this period, the process should occur with the participation of a general surgeon.

You can remove a splinter only by first softening the surrounding tissue. There are a lot of lotions for this, including traditional medicine.

Massage at home

The treatment uses massage on the feet. There are several options for this treatment:

— Heat coarse salt (1 kg) and scatter it on the floor. Stand on the salt with bare feet and walk on it for 15 minutes. A few procedures are enough to get rid of the problem. — You can use a washboard for massage. Having taken a comfortable position on a chair, place the board on the floor and move your feet along it. The movements must be intense. The procedure lasts ten minutes and is repeated twice a day until the spur disappears. — Take small potatoes and boil them until tender in their skins. Then pour it into a bowl and start stirring with your feet until it cools. After the massage, the feet are wiped, a net is painted with iodine and warm socks are put on. The course of treatment is one week.

For problems such as heel spikes, treatment with folk remedies is no less effective than drug treatment.

Recipes for lotions, pastes and ointments to soften the skin

A foot bath with salt or soda softens the skin quite well.

The easiest way to prepare a hot solution of table salt is to put 1 tablespoon in half a liter of water, and soak the affected foot in it for 20-30 minutes, until the skin begins to fold. After this, as a rule, the tip of the splinter appears from the skin, i.e. you can carry out one or another manipulation to extract it.

If, for example, you cannot use a bath, for example, if a splinter is combined with a penetrating wound or if you have a fungal infection of the foot, you can use soda paste. Baking soda is diluted to a paste, then the resulting paste is applied to the area of the splinter. Half an hour after this, the paste can be washed off and the splinter removed.

Vishnevsky ointment is an excellent emollient

An excellent softening agent with an antiseptic and anti-purulent effect is tar and its derivative - Vishnevsky ointment. These products can not only soften the skin, but also draw pus from the wound.

If the splinter is deep, and for some reason there is no access to a surgeon, you can use the following method: Vishnevsky ointment is applied to the cleaned skin surface and fixed with a tampon and adhesive tape. Within 30-40 minutes you will get the tip of the splinter (or the whole thing), and all the pus that has formed by this time.

Thermal baths are effective in the softening process

Thermal bath: pour boiling water with salt (100 g of salt per 400 ml of water) and quickly immerse and remove the foot from the solution (preferably only the affected area) while the brine cools. After steaming, you can apply Vishnevsky ointment.

Sometimes a good effect is achieved with baths of a solution of baby soap - 100 g of soap per 400 ml of water, soak for 30 minutes.

Prevention

In order to avoid such an unpleasant disease, you need to monitor your weight, wear comfortable and soft shoes, if there is a need to use orthopedic insoles, and do not neglect vitamin complexes during diets.

If it was not possible to avoid the appearance of a thorn on the heel, and home treatment methods do not help, you should consult a doctor to avoid the development of complications.

Traditional methods of softening the skin before removing a splinter

Traditional methods also include applications with a tampon with aloe juice, banana peel or bread crumb.

It must be borne in mind that many traditional methods aim only at stopping the local inflammatory process, and will not help remove the splinter itself.

Photo gallery: folk remedies for softening

Comfrey paste. The root of the comfrey herb is crushed, which must be poured with a small amount of boiling water until a thick paste is formed. The hot product is placed on the affected area using a gauze pad and secured with a bandage. We change the bandage every 4 hours until a splinter appears. After removing the splinter, treat the surface of the skin with alcohol and lubricate with calendula.

Onion pulp. The grated fresh onion is fixed with a tampon and secured with a bandage, the bandage is changed after 4 hours.

Video: how to properly remove a splinter

Author: Alexandra
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General practitioner at a city clinic. Eight years ago I graduated from Tver State Medical University with honors. Rate this article:

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