Foot Fissures and Treatment
May 16, 2022
Feet are the appendages that carry us through life. When they are injured or compromised with issues like fissures, the ability to walk and move about is threatened. If not treated and cared for, foot fissures can lead to illness or, if left untreated, even death.
They are easy to identify, and develop when the skin of the feet is very dry and cracked. The fissures may result from other medical conditions such as:
- Blood circulation
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Psoriasis
- Thyroid problems
- Vitamin or nutrient deficiency
Whatever the cause, once the fissures get deep and the sides of the cracked area become wider, they become a greater problem, and pain increases just from the pressure on the heels while standing. Sometime the dry skin turns yellowish or brown because the skin is dead and not receiving sufficient blood flow.
Left Foot
Right Foot
I was treating one of my clients (whose feet are featured in the photos above) for back pain, and he mentioned the trouble he had walking because of pain in his heels. The right foot, which was causing him the most discomfort, has two deep cracks and dried blood.
Once fissures reach this stage, the blood indicates that they can continue to worsen. This is the time to seek medical attention. This can help you avoid developing an infection.
In this case, I alerted my client’s family about his condition and urged him to seek immediate medical care from a podiatrist. Dry skin and sore or painful feet seem like minor issue to most people. I encourage my clients to be aware of this issue and address fissures before they develop into a medical emergency.
Heel Cushions
Heel Cushions
These are ways to treat foot fissures.
Note: The following treatment is not to be administered by a non-medical person. A patient’s treatment of fissures should be attended to by a physician.
- Soak the feet in warm water and liquid dish soap for 15 minutes to soften the skin.
- Squeeze the edges of cracks together and secure them closed with Steri Strips placed horizontally across the fissures.
- Depending on the length of each fissure, apply as many Steri Strips as necessary to keep them close.
- This should last about four days.
- Repeat the process at least three to four times, or until the fissures have healed.
- Insert heel cushions in shoes to provide a soft surface for the healing skin. (See images of heel cushions above.)
- Even after the fissures have healed, continue wearing the cushions because the dry skin condition can linger.
- Fissures have a greater chance returning if the heels have frequent contact with hard surfaces.
- After recovery, moisturize heels with Vaseline or a similar moisturizing product.