When your feet start hurting, it’s tempting to skip the doctor’s visit and head straight to Dr. Google or the home medicine cabinet. But here’s the crucial truth: while some simple remedies like Epsom salt soaks are great, self-treating many foot and ankle conditions can be incredibly risky. Instead, consult us at New Jersey Podiatric Physicians & Surgeons Group for the real fix to the following foot problems.  

Digging Out Ingrown Toenails

When you try to dig out that painful ingrown corner of your nail with tweezers, scissors, or a cuticle pusher, you are creating a perfect pathway for bacteria. You can easily cut too deep into the soft, surrounding skin, which can cause significant bleeding and an open wound.

Especially for patients with diabetes or poor circulation, this small, self-inflicted injury can rapidly escalate into a severe infection.

Shaving Corns and Calluses

That thick patch of hardened skin is your body’s response to pressure, and many people try to remove it with a razor blade or knife. Never do this.

Without specialized, sterile instruments and the training to differentiate between dead skin and healthy tissue, it is very easy to cut too deeply. This creates a painful, bleeding wound that is susceptible to infection.

Ignoring an Ankle Sprain

While not a DIY treatment, the decision to walk off an ankle sprain is a dangerous form of self-management. By putting weight on a damaged ligament, you worsen the tear, increase swelling, and significantly delay healing.

Most importantly, you compromise the ankle’s stability and set yourself up for chronic ankle instability and osteoarthritis in the joint years later. Not to mention, at-home physical therapy treatments might make the problem worse than it already is. Leave that up to the professional therapists we refer you to!

Other Foot Problems You Should Not Treat at Home

Plantar Warts and Other Fungal Infections: While many people try over-the-counter freeze or acid treatments, these are often ineffective on large or deep plantar warts and can damage the surrounding healthy skin. Podiatrists have access to stronger, more precise therapies (like freezing, prescription acids, or SWIFT microwave therapy) that can safely target the virus without causing collateral skin damage.

Persistent Numbness: If you have chronic numbness, tingling, or burning pain (signs of neuropathy or nerve entrapment like Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome), you shouldn’t rely on self-care. These symptoms indicate nerve damage or compression that requires diagnosis to prevent permanent injury.

Bony Deformity Pain (Bunions, Hammertoes, etc.): If the pain from a bunion or hammertoe is severe, it means the underlying structure is compromised. You should not try to pad or tape these aggressively without professional guidance. You might need custom orthotics or potentially a surgical evaluation instead.

If you’re worried about your foot pain, come see the expert team at New Jersey Podiatric Physicians & Surgeons Group. With more than 30 locations, from Newark, NJ, to Cape May, NJ, we value convenience and excellent service for our patients. To schedule an appointment, first find a podiatrist in your area.