Active feet face a higher risk of plantar warts than most people realize, and understanding why can help athletes stay a step ahead. Plantar warts form on the soles of the feet from an HPV infection, but unlike warts elsewhere on the body, body weight pushes them inward, creating a painful, pebble-like sensation with every step. Shared athletic spaces like locker rooms, showers, and pool decks provide the warm, damp conditions HPV needs to thrive, and walking barefoot through them raises the odds of picking it up. The physical demands of training increase the risk, since heavy sweating softens the skin, and friction from athletic shoes can create tiny cracks that let the virus in. Once a wart takes hold, high-impact movements like sprinting and jumping can drive pain deep into the sole, sometimes altering an athlete’s stride and adding stress elsewhere in the leg. Simple habits, wearing sandals in shared spaces, drying feet thoroughly, and avoiding shared towels or shoes, go a long way toward prevention, and catching a wart early with the help of a podiatrist makes treatment far easier.
source: https://myfootdoc.com/why-active-athletes-are-more-prone-to-plantar-warts/
Comments
Download this infographic.
