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paintballimpact.com / Safety / Athlete's Foot
Athlete's Foot - Athletes Foot - Paintball Injury
Athlete's Foot is a foot condition that affects many sports athletes, including paintball players. Athlete's foot has symptoms that include itching, redness and mild chronic inflammation. This condition can cause itching and flaking of the skin covering the foot. This condition is easier to prevent than to cure. While this condition is difficult to treat, it is almost always possible to avoid. Though athlete's foot does often occur in athletes, it can really happen to anyone. Saprotrophic microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria are the root causes of athlete's foot. These bacteria and fungi live and thrive in hot, moist environments. The shoes of paintball athletes are ideal places for these bacteria and fungi to grow. With all the ground players need to cover, they work up and sweat over their entire body, including their feet. On a hot and humid day, the area around a player's foot and between the toes may stay warm and moist, giving the athlete's foot bacteria an ideal opportunity for growth.
Once the athletes foot bacteria has dug its way into the skin of your foot, the skin may begin to itch, become red, and swell. Later progression of this foot ailment may include foot pain, foot blisters, and a cracking of the skin. Though the most common location for this skin infection is usually the feet, it can spread to other areas of the body, such as the groin, elbow, knees, and arm pits. The groin and armpits are especially susceptible to this fungal/bacterial infection because they have the least exposure to the open air. The athlete's foot fungal thrives away from the open air, it likes areas that stay warm, wet, and moist. Athletes foot is in fact very similar to tinea curtis, popularly know as jock itch.
The most common cause of athlete's foot is the . The fungi dermatophytes invade the outer layers of the skin, and grow steadily with the aid of a warm moist environment. The medical term for this foot problem is .
Risk Factors. While no one can be completely safe from catching this foot problem, there are a few things athletes can look out for to minimize the risk. The athlete's foot fungus does not just grow in any environment; it needs a warm wet place to grow. Poorly ventilated shoes and socks prevent moisture buildup in the foot from drying, and gives the fungus an ideal place to thrive. Also, maintenance of your foot wear and socks can play a role as well. If you have played in hot, humid weather conditions and your shoes are still wet or moist at the end of the day, wash them when you get home. Athlete's foot fungi can grow in shoes even when you are not wearing them. After playing paintball all day, leave your shoes out in a well ventilated area to dry, or machine wash or dry them. If you are going to be spending time in athletic environments like pools, gym showers, and locker-rooms, wear sandals to keep you feet off of damp surfaces that you will be sharing with other athletes.
Prevention. Prevention of this foot disease involves cleaning and drying your shoes regularly, and buying high quality paintball shoes and socks, like the Dye Playing Socks and the Dye ATC Hydrogel Shoe.
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