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To Use or Not To Use Over-The-Counter Products For Your Foot Problem
With the amount of money spent on over-the-counter (OTC) products to help solve foot problems, a poor small country could be fed.
It’s easier now than ever to use our phone or laptop to find the latest and greatest “cure” for a foot malady. If we only had a nickel for every time we heard the line-“I wish I would have come to you sooner”, we’d have a small fortune.
The best advice we can give you about retail foot products is - trying something once that is inexpensive isn’t going to harm anyone but don’t expect much.
The biggest problem we see here is how many attempts are made and how much money is thrown at finding an OTC solution.
We find this most with trying to solve toenail fungus and plantar fasciitis. We know how the advertisements for products claiming to fix these conditions can sound so good, but we also know how ineffective they really are.
The OTC topical solutions for toenail fungus are only 5-8% effective!
What they don’t tell you is that you’d have to use the product for at least one year to hopefully see a good result.
A fortune is also spent on supposed plantar fasciitis relieving products such as inserts, arch wraps, stretching devices, and shoes.
Again, there’s no harm in trying something inexpensive in the very early stages of this condition. However, If you’ve had pain for more than 3 months, the odds of an OTC product helping is much less.
While some OTC products can be harmless, like inserts and arch wraps, other products are not. Products abound for other conditions like calluses, warts, ingrown nails, and athlete’s foot may have salicylic acid in it which may cause irritation and burning to the skin.
Our human nature is to try to solve things independently, especially if it means avoiding a medical visit. We aren’t interested in changing human nature, but we are committed to keeping you informed of the reality of the OTC foot world.
We hope to save you time and money by sharing our knowledge of your retail options. Other than shoe brand recommendations, there aren’t but a few OTC products we can put our stamp of approval on.
Let us know if you have a nagging foot concern you want to be rectified now.
Schedule an Appointment With Our Roanoke Foot and Ankle Specialists
Ready to find out how Shenandoah Podiatry’s foot and ankle specialists can help you feel steady on your feet? Complete the online contact form or call us at 540-904-1458 to schedule an appointment.
