Foreign Body Removal

Foreign bodies embedded in the foot are common in podiatry. There are a number of objects that can penetrate the skin of the foot causing an embedded foreign body. The most common foreign body to penetrate the foot is a sewing needle. There are other materials that can cause foreign body injury to the foot including toothpicks, glass shards, metal shavings, cloth fibers, hair, and sand or silica. Most anything that is hard can penetrate the skin and pose a threat when it is stepped on by the foot. Insect stings and sticker-burrs from various plants are also common.