Introduction to some common cutaneous foot conditions and their management

Problems that happen to the body through injury or disease can also happen to the owner's feet, and there are additional complications associated with the feet. Feet are a long way from the core, are in contact with an unclean environment (the ground), can be abused through poor-fitting footwear and are subjected to more general wear and tear than many other parts of the body. There are a large number of conditions affecting the feet, many associated with medical disorders such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or peripheral vascular disease. The symptom of pain often triggers help being sought, but change in the appearance of the skin is a very important indicator of the state of superficial and deeper tissues. Health-care professionals may be called upon to comment on these conditions and treat and/or refer accordingly, so a multidisciplinary approach is required. Clinical skill is required to identify the conditions which are treatable, or those which should be referred for treatment by someone in another specialism. This paper provides information for clinicians and interested others in the form of an introduction to some common cutaneous foot conditions through outline case examples and their treatment.