5882. CARE OF YOUR FEET - Foot problems - corns and calluses

 22 May 2024: Vesak Day.
Ref: Straits Times Life 22 May 2022. C1

Hardened skin can cause pain affecting the way one walks and may lead to more serious conditions such as ulcers below the skin. 

 

Bunions - bony lumps at the baser of the big toes, around big and smallest toes and heels. 

Calluses - Hardened skin forms due to increased pressure on parts of the feet such as around the bones of the feet or base of the big toe.

Corns - develop due to damage or irritants to the outer layers of the skin. They usually have a central core surrounded by hardened skin. 

CAUSES OF CALLUSES AND CORNS
1. Constantly wearing ill-fitting shoes
2. Foot deformities like bunions
3. Thinning of the fat pad at the ball or heel of the foot 
4. Diseases such as viral warts or fungal infections or psoriasis.
5. Medical conditions that affect sensation beneath their feet such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy

UNTREATED:
1. Bleeding and ulceration due to tissue breakdown beneath the callus.
2. Infections spread to the bone and other parts of the foot requiring amputation to save their lives and salvage the rest of the limb.

PODIATRY TREATMENT
1. Debridement - removal of the thickened skin lesions using a sterile scalpel blade.
2. Custom insoles in shoes. These increase surface contact with the feet and redistribute pressure, preventing occurrence of corns and calluses which inteferes with your gait.

Early detection of ulcers under the callus and regular podiatry treatment can save limbs.

PREVENTION
1. Regular pedicures. A professional scraps the hard skin off the feet.
2. Soaking the feet softens but does not remove the hard skin.
3. Scrubbing the feet with pumice stones and foot files to remove the hard skin for a while but causes must be addressed e.g. changing footwear and using custom insoles.
4. Wearing slippers at home can help cushion the feet and prevent calluses.
5. Choose the right footwear that provide adequate support and cushioning, with enough room for the toes to move freely. Advised to inspect your used footwear for depressions on the insole or interior of the shoe. Depressions indicate areas of increased pressure exerted on the feet.

Opt for a shock-absorbent outsole in your footwear or a wider toe box or an ankle strap.

6. Maintain food foot hygiene to prevent bacterial or fungal infections. Moisturise dry areas of the feet.
7. Check your feet daily or enlist the help of a friend or family member if necessary.