CORNS AND CALLUS
The average person’s feet over a lifetime will likely travel thousands of kilometres. Made up of 26 bones, 33 joints and an extensive and intricate network of muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves.
The important role of the feet in everyday movement is transportation from point A to point B; walking to running, either barefoot or in varying styles of shoes, distributing weight and load from heel strike to toe off.
When weight and load become excessive however, the feet let us know with varying pain and discomfort levels. A common presenting symptom may be the formation of corns and calluses. Corns are thickened layers of skin in a focal area of the feet, generally over bony prominences, while calluses area more diffused or spread over a larger area, commonly under the ball of the feet or in the heels.
In the region of the heels, these calluses can get quite severe and form cracks referred to as fissures. These require immediate removal with care due to pain and soreness that may be experienced as well as running a high risk of infection.
PEOPLE ALSO ASK
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Callus present as yellowish plaque’s of hard skin. Corn’s are small inverted cone shaped lesions that is pushed into the skin.
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Both Corn’s and Callus are associated with excess intermittent mechanical stress i.e., shearing, friction, pressure, torsion and tension resulting in micro-trauma to the skin’s layers and therefore abnormal keratinisation (skin turnover)
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Corn’s typically are small and appear in high wearing areas of the bottom of the feet. They tend to cause the most discomfort due to the corn pushing into the skin. Callus still appear in high wearing areas of the bottom of the feet, but instead of being in a specific small area of the foot, it’s spread out over a larger area and typically are more tolerable than corn’s.
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YES! Identifying why they occurred in the first place is what our podiatrists get to the bottom of. Corns and callus tend to go away over time and on their own if the ‘cause’ is addressed however, a quicker and immediate intervention would involve the careful and thorough removal of the corn and/or callus using s sharp scalpel blade known as ‘debridement’.
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This isn’t uncommon. Even with podiatry assistance, if there are still factors contributing to excessive wearing and pressure on the feet, you may find corns and callus returning. Really consider your choice of footwear and socks. You may also want to consider a gait assessment and therefore benefit from CUSTOM orthotic shoe inserts.
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If left untreated, Callus get larger and thicker. Corn’s burrow into the skin deeper and can potentially cause worse conditions e.g. a diabetic patient will risk developing a pressure ulcer that started as a corn. In the general population, pain when walking, running and jumping will become excruciating.