Q13: What should I do if I get something stuck in my foot?

Sometimes in spite of our best efforts to watch where we’re stepping, something might get stuck in our foot, such as splinters, metal or glass slivers, thorns, or briar stickers. All are annoying because they can be painful. If practical, it’s best to remove one as soon as we notice it, otherwise it could get pushed in deeper.

Searching the Internet will reveal many methods of removing such things, but the simplest thing to try first is to use a pair of finely tipped, needle-nosed tweezers to pull it out.
1. Wash the area around the splinter (or sticker) with soap and water, and pat dry.
2. Sterilize the tweezers with alcohol.
3. Grasp the end of the splinter and pull it out in the same angle it went in.

Sometimes the splinter is already gone beneath the surface of the skin. And if that’s the case, the best way to get it out is with the use of a needle.
1. Wash the area around the splinter (or sticker) with soap and water, and pat dry.
2. Sterilize the needle with alcohol.
3. Find the point of entry of the splinter.
4. Stick in the needle as lightly as you can.
5. Using the needle tip, apply upward pressure to open the overlaying skin.
6. Go a bit further, applying an upward scraping motion to pull the skin apart so as to see the splinter.
7. Move aside the skin that’s just above the tip of the splinter.
8. With the needle, lift of the tip.
9. Nudge it out with the needle, or use the tweezers, as described above.

Once it’s out, wash the area again with soap and water, and if the skin was damaged or broken more than superficially, apply a band-aid or other covering for a day or so until it’s healed over.

Occasionally, we might find it impossible to get a splinter or other object out at all, at least without digging so deep that it’s too painful or starts to bleed. If it comes to that, many barefooters have found the best course of action is to just leave it alone. The skin tends to naturally eject foreign objects stuck in it after a period of time. If it’s quite painful to walk on, sometimes a piece of medical tape or duct tape cover the area will make walking a little easier until it finally resolves itself. Sometimes soaking the foot in warm water and Epsom Salt will speed up the splinter’s natural ejection, and also relieve the soreness. Of course, if it continues to hurt, gets more painful than before, or appears to be swelling, seeking medical help at that point is the wise course of action, to be sure it’s not becoming infected.