Sore, Red, Swollen Toe

Infections can turn up in the strangest of circumstances. One day you can feel perfectly fine and the next moment you can have an infection. There are signs that you need to look for to know if you have an infection or not. They include swelling, hot skin, pain, red skin and loss of function of your body part. If you have any one of these criteria, it is possible that you could have an infection. In the most extreme of cases you could see your toe swell up to 2-3 times its normal size. In this instance, your toe could be full of pus and blood.

Now, you may be wondering, how could you have gotten this infection? Well, there are multiple paths that can lead to an infection including a puncture wound, bacteria getting in through a former scratch or an infection from a different part of the body spreading to a new site. For example, if you have a cute and go walking barefoot around your yard, it is possible that bacteria from the yard could get into your foot. In these instances, it is very important that you seek medical treatment so that the proper steps can be taken.

If an infection is caught early enough, antibiotics can be given to treat the symptoms and the foot and you will not need any further treatment. However, the longer that an infection is harbored in your body, the longer that the infection has to develop. So, if your infection gets to the point where you have a toe that is 23 times its normal size, it means you have waited quite some time to have your infection checked out. At this point, it will be necessary to drain the fluid and infection from your toe. As horrible as this may sound, you will feel a great deal of relief when the pressure from your toe is released. However, let’s prevent it from getting to this point.

If you or someone you know is noticing the signs of an infection on your foot, it is important that you visit your local podiatrist for care. If you live in the Tewksbury or Lowell, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.