Today, more Americans are developing MRSA infections than ever before. What’s more, they are getting them from common, relatively minor foot problems like cuts, cracks in the skin, athlete’s foot and ingrown toenails. While these infections are on the rise, there also seems to be a number of quickly growing misconceptions about MRSA. Most people recognize the term “MRSA”, but they don’t quite realize what it really is beyond the fact it is serious. When asked to define MRSA, some patients say “a frightening infection”, others say “flesh-eating bacteria” and still others simply don’t know. First of all, flesh-eating bacteria is something different than MRSA. Now, while it can be frightening, you don’t need to lose any sleep over MRSA tonight because we’re going to cover it in the following paragraphs and after reading the facts, you should feel more comfortable and less afraid should your doctor ever tell you that you have MRSA. Continue reading 'MRSA, in my Foot?'»
Some of the potentially most irritating places on the feet are the areas between the toes-also known as the “web spaces” or “inter-digital spaces” of the feet. You’re probably quite aware of how hot and moist our feet can become under normal circumstances while wearing socks and shoes and forced to perform standard activities. Now consider that the areas between the toes are subject to those same conditions in addition to further heat and pressure and it suddenly becomes obvious that they are a natural place for superficial infections and irritation to occur.
There are many different causes which can lead to irritations between the toes. A common suspicion is “Athlete’s foot” which is a fungal infection of the skin. However, fungal infections which affect the web spaces can actually be caused by several different types of fungus which are each treated differently. Furthermore, fungal infections need to be distinguished from bacterial and parasitic infections which also have a predilection for the inter-digital spaces and are, of course, treated differently. Even metabolic diseases and autoimmune disorders need to be considered when assessing symptoms. Finally, friction and mechanical stress caused by a mal-aligned toe or inappropriate shoes may be causing the problem and should be ruled out.
Common symptoms that people may experience include burning, stinging, or itching sensations between the toes. They may also encounter certain changes as the skin becomes scalded, beefy red, cracked, or scaly. Of course, there are many other possible symptoms-each of which depends on the particular underlying cause. For this reason, podiatrists do a thorough assessment-which may include taking skin scrapings and using other simple measures-to determine what that cause is. From that point, the appropriate regimen is implemented which may range from oral or topical treatments to shoe-gear adjustments to changing the medications that you are currently using.
When one considers how often we wash our hands compared to our feet throughout the day, it’s not surprising that our feet are frequently susceptible to attack from microscopic organisms and other potential risks. Keeping your feet clean and dry as often as possible is a big step you can take to prevent infections. Thankfully, when serious irritations do occur, appropriate treatments are available.
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