Every day someone comes into the office concerned about a bump on their foot. It may or may not be painful. It could be small enough to be on one of the toes or quite large on the top or bottom of the foot. It could be perfectly round or an irregular shape. It could be a normal color or dark. It could be soft or hard.
Don’t ignore that bump! Most bumps–whether soft or hard–aren’t serious. However, occasionally a bump can be cancerous.
Some of the more common bumps on the foot are:
- Bone spurs (calcium build up)
- Ganglion cyst (thick gel-like fluid filled)
- Warts (a type of virus)
- Plantar Fibroma
- Gout
- Squamous cell (skin cancer)
Some bumps on the foot require immediate attention in the form of removal. This can be done in the office in some cases but often it requires an outpatient procedure. Other bumps can be treated with a cortisone injection to dissolve them. And, even other bumps can be ignored if they’re not painful.
Some bumps need to be addressed quickly because they are constantly irritated by shoes. A bump on the back of the heel is one such bump that shoes can irritate. We will often recommend wearing alternative shoes but that doesn’t always eliminate the pain.
In some cases, we will take a piece of the bump and send it to a pathology lab to be evaluated. Of course, in this situation, we are looking for cancer cells. If any are present we will remove the bump immediately.
Any bump that is getting larger and more painful requires immediate medical attention. It could start pressing on a nerve, causing an even greater amount of pain.
Many people try over-the-counter products for foot conditions. A bump on the foot is not a time for that. I’m not aware of any products that effectively eliminate bumps.
The bottom line is… Don’t ignore that bump!
