Plantar warts develop exclusively on the sole of the foot. They can be painful and cause difficulty walking. Plantar warts may occur alone or in a pattern, grouped closely together.

Plantar warts are caused by an infection of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 100 different types of HPV but only a few are known to cause Plantar Warts. The HPV strain that causes plantar warts strives in warm moist environments such as: shower floors, locker rooms, public swimming areas, pools and gyms. In order to become affected the virus must also have a point of entry such as: cuts, scrapes, cracks in dry skin or wet softened skin from prolonged exposure to water.

According to WebMD, the symptoms of plantar warts include:
Small, fleshy, grainy lesions, or growths, on the soles of your feet

Hard, thickened skin (callus) over a well-defined “spot” on the skin, where a wart has grown inwards

Black pinpoints, which are commonly called “wart seeds” but are actually small, clotted blood vessels

Lesions that interrupt the normal lines and ridges in the skin of your feet

Pain or tenderness when walking or standing