Also called: Tinea pedis
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Athlete's Foot
Athlete's foot is a common infection caused by a fungus. It most often affects the space between the toes. Symptoms include itching, burning, and cracked, scaly skin between your toes.
You can get athlete's foot from damp surfaces, such as showers, swimming pools, and locker room floors. To prevent it:
- Keep your feet clean, dry, and cool
- Wear clean socks
- Don't walk barefoot in public areas
- Wear flip-flops in locker room showers
- Keep your toenails clean and clipped short
Treatments include over-the-counter antifungal creams for most cases and prescription medicines for more serious infections. These usually clear up the infection, but it can come back.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
It sits within Infections and Skin, Hair and Nails.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Athlete's Foot
75 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A Phase 1b Study of ZYG24004 in Participants With Tinea Pedis Caused by DermatophytesSinomune Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd
- Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma for Moderate-to-severe Tinea PedisShenyang Medical College
- Topical Tolnaftate Stick for Tinea Pedis: An Open-Label Interventional StudyPropedix, Inc.
- Sports Nutrition Assessment ProgramUniversity of Alicante
- Effect of Kinesiotaping on Lower Limb Kinematics and Functional Related Outcomes Among Female Athletes With Chronic Lateral Ankle InstabilityCairo University
- Efficacy of Tropical Sertaconazole Nitrate 2% Vs Clotrimazole 1% for Tinea PedisJinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre
Research already completed
- Advanced Footwear Technology in Federated AthletesUniversity of Oviedo
- A Trial to Evaluate the Safety and and Tolerability of DBI-001 in Patients With Tinea PedisDermBiont, Inc.
- Effectiveness of Balance Training and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Training in Amateur Athletes with Chronic Ankle InstabilityMedipol University
- Spread of Dermatophytes Among FamiliesUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
- Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of UHE-103 Cream in Subjects With Tinea Cruris and/or Tinea PedisTherapeutics, Inc.
- The Effect Of Plyometric Training On Balance And Proprioception In Different Branches Athletesmustafa gulsen
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Athlete's FootMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Athlete's FootAmerican Podiatric Medical Association
- Athlete's FootAmerican College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons
Diagnosis and Tests
- Fungal Culture TestNational Library of Medicine
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Fungus Infections: Preventing RecurrenceAmerican Osteopathic College of Dermatology
- How to Prevent Athlete's FootAmerican Academy of Dermatology
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Tinea PedisNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Tinea Pedis. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Athlete's Foot, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.