Small splinter in the bottom of my foot... help?

Post date: 2022-06-21 02:40:14

On Saturday I got a small splinter in the ball of my foot. It's tiny, only about 4-5mm long in total (though I can't fully see the other end) but I cannot pull it out because it's fully embedded and there's nothing to grab onto, even with my best razor-sharp tweezers. What do I do?

This wouldn't be a huge problem except I can feel it when I walk — there's a pokey, stabby pain when I put weight on that part of my foot. The pain itself is manageable but the feeling of something poking into my foot makes me very uncomfortable.

So far I've managed by cutting a ring shape out of moleskin to keep the pressure off the splinter, wearing socks and cushy shoes everywhere, and walking with a bit of a limp, but this is getting old. I'm really hoping it will work itself out in a few more days... but if not, then what? And how can I make myself comfortable until then? Is there anything I can do to help it work out faster?

Fortunately, the area around the splinter doesn't seem irritated or inflamed so I'm not worried about a big health risk other than the pain. The skin it's stuck in is pretty thick and calloused but it must be just long enough to reach the sensitive skin underneath.

Things I've tried:

- Soaking in warm water
- Soaking in warm water with baking soda
- Sanding that part of my foot with a heel callus remover (in the hopes that the sanding would pull out the splinter and/or allow it to work itself out further)

Things I haven't tried, but will soon:

- Soaking in water with Epsom salts

Let me know if you have any wacky ideas, I'll try them! This feels so silly because it's such a tiny splinter, but it's a major week-ruiner.

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