Have you been skipping your daily walk because of painful corns or callouses on your feet? If you’ve been wearing tight-fitting shoes this summer on a regular basis, that may be the problem. When you wear tight shoes it creates tension and friction on your feet, which can result in corns or callouses.
Corns usually develop on the tops of toes that are misaligned such as hammertoes. Claw-like toes that curl under leave the perfect opportunity for shoes to rub against the tops of these toes, creating friction, and causing painful corns.
Toes can also take a beating from poor fitting shoes and create callouses. When toes are repeatedly exposed to friction and pressure, the skin’s natural response is to add more layers of skin to protect underlying issues, or to prevent open sores or blisters from occurring. The most common areas of the foot for callouses to develop are the ball of the foot and around the heel. This is because the majority of the body’s weight and pressure is carried in these two spots.
What can you do to relieve pain and treat these common conditions? Chiropodist Tony Abbott provides these helpful tips when your feet are looking overworked and unsightly with corns and callouses. They include:
- Avoid pressure for two weeks. Usually, within this time frame, corns and callouses will disappear. You can prevent pressure by not wearing high heels and making sure the footwear you do wear is supportive with enough cushioning.
- Padding. When you switch to more comfortable and supportive shoes, add extra padding to the affected areas of your foot to add more protection. You can find special pads at your local pharmacy.
- Soak your feet. Soaking your feet with warm water and filing down your callouses with a pumice stone can gently take care of the problem.
If you have any concerns regarding your corns or callouses, please contact our office to set up an appointment with Tony. He can properly take care of either condition so you can leave our office walking tall without any foot pain.
