One of the most common conditions a podiatrist treats, corns don’t attract much sympathy from non sufferers but they can make a persons life miserable. The smile on a patients face when a painful corn is removed is one of the most rewarding experiences, but the greatest reward lies in preventing them in the first place.
Corns can form anywhere on the foot, they can affect young and old, men and women, active and inactive. The only common factor is pressure. Pressure causes a response from the skin which leads to a change in the structure of the skin, and ultimately the formation of a corn. They are conical in shape, and appear like a circle from the surface, but go down to a fine point, which explains why they can be so painful. The most common places they form are on the tops of toe joints and under the metatarsal heads (on the sole).
Prevention is the key if you don’t have any. Its always all about the shoes, soft materials and adequate room are usually all that is required to have a corn free life. The toe box of a shoe is really important, although it may be wide enough, a quick check of whether or not its depth is adequate is also advised. Toes that are retracted (hammer or mallet toes) will take up more height in a shoe and be prone to pressure points on the top.
Take care of your feet, make sure the shoes are the best fit, and hopefully you can avoid the pain of corns. However, if you suffer from a painful corn, you can look forward to real relief when a skilled podiatrist can take it out of your life literally.
