It’s extremely common amongst footballers and more of us than we’d like to admit have suffered from it at some point!
I am, of course, talking about Athlete’s Foot – that nasty fungal infection that can cause your feet to go dry and flaky.
It’s a downside to wearing the same football boots, week-in week-out especially in the wet and cold of the winter season, so you might want to know how to avoid, and if it’s already too late for you, how to cure athlete’s foot.
Prevention
The Athlete’s Foot infection can be transmitted by shower floors, wet towels and footwear (even your football boots!) so, they key to keeping your feet healthy it keeping them dry.
First of all, try and avoid sharing towels – even if you’re just drying your legs or feet before getting in your mates car!
Secondly, after you’ve played make sure you give your feet a proper dry, get out of your wet footy socks and into a spare pair! I’ve seen too many lads in the pub after a match still in the socks they played the match in, not only are they not doing their feet any favours – they smell ruddy awful too!
Make sure your football boots are dry and happy! I know it’s a pain in the neck, but don’t leave your boots in your kitbag or in the garage after a playing a match ankle deep in February mud! I don’t mean give them a full clean if you don’t want, just stuff ’em full of newspaper and leave them somewhere to dry away from a raditaor or open fireplace.
For those of you who get to play the beautiful game in beautiful weather all year round – Talcum Powder is a godsend! Just sprinkle a bit on your toes before you put your socks on, and we guarantee that your feet will be drastically less sweaty when you’re playing!
Treatment
The bottom line is get yourself to the chemist and pick something up that’s designed for the job. Athlete’s Foot might be common, but it’s also a complex infection – with not only the symptoms that you can see – but also a root that will keep the problem coming back.
However, here’s a few handy tips to relieve the problem until you can get something proper to treat it with:
Applying Tea Tree Oil to the infection will improve the symptoms, and also provide some relief if you’re feeling the itchiness that’s a killer for some people!
Crushing and dissolving 2-3 Aspirin in some hot water and soaking your foot is another good way to relieve the itch and kickstart your recovery!
Again, a bit of talcum powder before you put your socks on in the morning will take moisture away from the infection, and will slow down the growth and spread of the fungi until you can get some proper treatment on it!
Hope that helps anyone who’s currently worried about the dreaded athlete’s foot – and if you’ve got any top tips for preventing or treating, leave them in the comments below!
