A 16-year-old girl presented at Leading Edge Podiatry with plantar warts on her left foot. She reported that the wart had been present for approximately 6 months, after a summer of swimming and had gradually worsened over time. She had seen her local General Practitioner who Froze the wart 3 times. She is now very self conscious and concerned because there are now 3 plantar warts and they are getting bigger.

Patient’s Pain Symptoms

The patient reported that the pain was present in her left foot at the wart sites. The onset of pain was when she first noticed the wart growing on the bottom of her foot. The pain was initially mild but gradually worsened over time. The pain was worst when wearing shoes and when dancing. The patient described the pain as a sharp, like walking on a small pebble.

Examination and Assessment

The podiatrist carried out a thorough examination. The patient’s foot was examined to check it was not a corn (see Corn Vs Wart Ultimate Guide) and palpated; the pain was worst when squeezing the wart. The appearance was more consistent with a wart as there were tiny black spots.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The podiatrist diagnosed the patient with plantar warts. The podiatrist recommended a course of 5x weekly appointments where by the podiatrist debrided the lesion and applied Salicyclic acid and a waterproof dressing to help destroy the infected tissue. The patient was advised to keep the area clean and dry and to avoid walking barefoot for 3 days after treatment and return for reviews weekly.

Progess

After 5 weeks of treatment, the podiatrist review the skin lesion and concluded the plantar warts were indeed destroyed. The patient reported no pain and was able to return to dancing. The patient was educated on how plantar warts are spread and how to avoid picking them up in the future.