What is a plantar wart?

A plantar wart is a growth, usually on the bottom of the foot, caused by a virus. Just as there is no medication to eliminate other viruses, such as a cold, there is no treatment for the wart itself, only treatments that address the symptom, the planters wart itself. Warts can occur throughout the body, but the term "plantar" specifically describes a wart on the foot. The wart is also known as verruca plantaris.

The virus responsible for the wart forming is the human papilloma virus (HPV). It typically is introduced into the body through a crack in the skin. Sometimes a single wart forms, but often it can spread, forming patches of two, three, and more warts together. In our Houston foot care practice we've seen patients with over one hundred warts on a foot. It is best not to ignore a wart and you should see your Houston foot specialist to treat it before it spreads.