Thread: I have the dreaded glass bead in my foot!

I must have stepped on a bead while dancing the other night. I am hesitant to go digging in my foot myself, what are other people's experiences with this? This is the first time in over 30 years of dancing that this has happened to me.

How deep is the bead in your foot? Maybe you can soak it out.

I've always just dug the darn things out, but I have an RN wife if I get into trouble! Its happened to me 2 or 3 times thus far...

Depending on how deep it is, have you tried putting Elmer's glue on it, letting the glue dry, then maybe pulling it out?

If it's not deep, soak your foot and get a sharp, clean pair of cuticle scissors. That should take care of it. If it is deep, go see your Dr.

{{{HUGS}}}

If you can't get it out, there is no shame in going to the foot doctor. I've had to go to a podiatrist twice to get glass dug out, try a couple of the ideas people recommend, but it is better not to put it off too long if they don't work.

*Update* I soaked in a hot tub for an hour, then dug around with a sterilized needle and it seems to have worked, though I didn't see the actual bead or whatever it was. My foot feels much better. That was easier than I thought! It must not have been too deep. Thanks for the tips.

Dreaded indeed!! Glad it all "worked out", pun intended :-)

I have years and years worth of calluses built up on the balls of my feet from dancing barefoot so much, maybe that's what saved me!

For future reference, soaking your foot in hot water with epsom salts will help. You can also try a "drawing salve" (sometimes called black salve) that contains ichthammol. Ask a pharmacist for it. Old fashioned remedy often kept behind the counter but not prescription.

That's crazy, this actually happened to be yesterday too, although I'm not sure what exactly is in my foot.

I could not find it, I tried soaking my foot in hot water with soap and that didn't help. So I've been walking around all day with some sort of splinter or glass in my foot that I can't find :'(

It really doesn't help that I can't point to the exact spot where it is, either.

When I get home from work I will try some of this advice. I was really just hoping my body would push this thing out on its own...

Originally Posted by yameyameyame

That's crazy, this actually happened to be yesterday too, although I'm not sure what exactly is in my foot.

I could not find it, I tried soaking my foot in hot water with soap and that didn't help. So I've been walking around all day with some sort of splinter or glass in my foot that I can't find :'(

It really doesn't help that I can't point to the exact spot where it is, either.

When I get home from work I will try some of this advice. I was really just hoping my body would push this thing out on its own...

It could be a hair. Some dog hair that is coarse is also extremely sharp and will stick in your foot and hurt like mad. Try lightly running your hand over the skin to see if you can feel it sticking out. Also the soaking will help.

I step on a piece of broken glass barefoot and cut the ball of my foot REAL bad in January (limped out of the dining room mid performance to the bathroom leaving a trail of blood behind - gross!).
I cleaned it covered it but it was pretty painful. Colleagues insisted I go to the hospital. The doctor x-rayed and thought MAYBE he could see something still in there. He numbed my foot, cut it open further and dug around for a while (oh the pain!) but didn't really find anything. He left a little hole open in case there was something in there it could get pushed out. I was worse off and couldn't walk for days. Three months later, my foot is still tender even thought the wound healed shut. In retrospect I should have just left it alone and NOT let him dig around in there.
I wear half-soles now for every show. ;-)

I apply iodine to the area and allow it to dry. The iodine will color the skin so it's easier to locate the area the bead entered the skin or even the bead.

Same technique works well with splinters although the splinter absorbs the dye so it's easier to locate.

Yikes, I'm too neurotic to ever dance barefoot after reading this :(. This seems very disturbing, I guess I will have to consider dance shoes for when I actually begin to perform...

I had this happen one evening and drove straight to urgent care. The doctor on call said that if he couldn't find it right away the tissue would likely form a small cyst around the shard and it could be cut out more easily then. He was able to numb my foot, make a tiny slice and grab the tiny tiny TINY glass shard and show it to me. I would have never found it on my own!

I'm gonna share this thread with my students so they better understand why I insist on shoes when they perform in my shows...
good luck!

Originally Posted by Souzan

For future reference, soaking your foot in hot water with epsom salts will help. You can also try a "drawing salve" (sometimes called black salve) that contains ichthammol. Ask a pharmacist for it. Old fashioned remedy often kept behind the counter but not prescription.

Speaking of old fashioned remedy, when I was a kid, I got a splinter in my foot, and my mother couldn't get it out. She called my grandmother who came down the street (lived 4 houses away) and she did her own thing.

she scraped a raw potatoe, making a paste, put it on my foot, wrapped in it plastic & put a sock on it. It stayed on until the next day. When the wrapping was removed, where was the splinter in the midst of the potatoe paste. We often teased Grannie about practicing medicine without a license!!..g.:

Originally Posted by Zarafshan

Yikes, I'm too neurotic to ever dance barefoot after reading this :(. This seems very disturbing, I guess I will have to consider dance shoes for when I actually begin to perform...

I like those herme sandals.