| Corns and
Calluses: TIPS TO TREAT PAINFUL FEET |
| A Monthly Foot Fact |
|
Whether you want to keep your
feet beautiful or just avoid painful problems, watch out for two common
foot conditions: corns and calluses.
According to Dr. Suzanne Belyea, medical director for Foot.com, corns are more likely to form on the toes. They contain a cone-shaped core that can press on a nerve below, causing pain. Corns can also become inflamed. "Corns usually develop because of pressure caused by poorly fitting footwear, such as tight-fitting or high-heeled shoes," Dr. Belyea says. "If you have hammer toes, claw toes or mallot toes, corns can develop when your malformed toe rubs up against the shoe. That can become very painful." Wearing tight-fitting stockings and socks, or a foot sliding forward in a shoe that fits too loosely can also lead to corns. Soft corns are located between the toes where perspiration in the forefoot area softens the affected area. Complications that can arise from corns include bursitis and the development of an ulcer, a foot condition that is especially dangerous to diabetics. Calluses are caused by excessive pressure on a specific area of the foot and are normally found on the ball of the foot, the heel or the inside of the big toe. Some calluses have a deep-seated core known as a nucleation and can be especially painful to pressure. This condition is often referred to as Intractable Plantar Keratosis. High-heeled shoes, shoes that are too small, obesity, abnormalities in the walking motion, flat feet, high arched feet, bony prominences, and the loss of the fat pad on the bottom of the foot can all lead to calluses. According to Dr. Belyea, a callus is not a concern unless it causes pain, or shows signs of becoming an ulcer. Diabetics with calluses are at a much greater risk of developing ulcers if they notice pinpoint bleeding underneath the callus, in the form of small black dots under the skin.
|