What is a corn?
A foot corn is a hard layer of skin that can develop when there is an excess of friction and pressure occurring in a particular area. Corns on the feet often appear as small circular bits of hard skin that are white on appearance, with a central core in the middle and clear edges.
They are often painful when on your feet or when pressed and can develop on various parts of the foot - whether it be on large weight-bearing areas such as the forefoot or between toes/side of toe nails where a lot of rubbing can occur.
Causes
Common causes of the increased friction and pressure that can lead to the development of corns include:
Foot deformities – Bunions, hammertoes, restricted range of motion (ROM) in the feet, bone spurs
Too tight/loose fitting shoes – poor-fitting footwear that do not accommodate for the shape of the foot can lead to increased pressure on a specific area.
If a shoe is too tight, it will press on your feet and squish the toes together. If the shoe is too loose, your foot will excessively rub up and down in your shoes.
What a podiatrist can do to help
A podiatrist can recommend a variety of suitable treatment options to help prevent corn development. These include:
Remove the hard skin overlying the corn, and dig out the corn via specialised instruments, this rarely hurts contrary to what most people think
Create a customisable silicone device that helps separate the toes in order to ensure minimal friction between the toes
Help offload pressure off the bottom of your feet, and redistribute the pressure. This can be achieved via padding or an orthotic
Recommended suitable footwear that will fit the shape of your foot.
At Foot Body Sole, we can offer recommendations that helps dry the areas in between your toes, in order to reduce excess rubbing.
Also, we have a large range of supportive footwear, that are available in various widths to help fit your foot shape, with trained staff to help you through the fitting process!
If you have any questions at all about your corns, we are more than happy to answer them at Foot Body Sole! Our Footwear Specialists and Podiatrists can also recommend the right pair of shoes!
Give us a call on 1800 778 316 or visit us in store at 82 Bridport St, Albert Park Vic Australia.