5882. CARE OF YOUR FEET - Foot problems - corns and calluses. Foot pain - bunions, arch pain.

 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.

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Straits Times 15 July 2025:
Banish tired feet while on holiday
Life: C3
Travellers return with foot pain.

 

1. Orthotic solutions to manage flat-footness, noticeable rise in cases involving heel pain and bunions 

Bunion is a painful bony protrusion on the joint at the base of the big toe.

2. No one pair of footwear that fits everyone. Footwear solutions must fit customers' lifestyle needs.

Most common issue linked to foot pain was LIMITED DORSIFLEXION - restricted ankle mobility, followed by buions and arch pain.

Limitd dorsiflexion caused by muscle tightness or ankle sprains and fractures that lead to limited ankle mobility due to pain, swelling and scar tissue formation.

Bunions are often caused by improper footwear that pushes toes out of alignment. 

 

Ill-ftting shoes.For example, squeezing into shoes that were too narrow including unsupportive footwear like ballet flats and slippers during long walks overseas - develop painful bunions. Bunions become red, very painful after 20-30 minutes of walking. Big toe overlap his second toe of person who also has flat feet. 

 

Early intervention is important for those with foot discomfort.
Orthopaedic shoe stores:
Footkaki  footkaki.com
 

FeetCare  feet-care.sg

 free consultations via website booking 

Pain management - orthottics, shoe recommendations or exercises to strengthen the feet. 

 

SHOES HAVE A SHELF LIFE
Athletic walking shoes to be replaced after walking about 500 - 800 km.

Telltale signs: not providing adequate support include visible wear and tear, discomfort while walking, gait changes or posture changes, persistent foot pain.

Orthotics - Insoles - one of the most common orthotics - can be slotted into shoes to improve their support. Foot problems lke bunions, corns and calluses helped with orthotics.
 

Customised insoles up to $800 per pair. Include comprehensive foot examination and 3D scans. Can be used for around 3 years.

Off-the-shelf insoles $45 a pair, last around a year.

Running shoes have replaceable and removable insoles.  

 

HOW TO FIND YOUR FIT.
Asians typically have wider and shorter feet than Westerners. 88% if female customers of Mr Oo have wide and extra-wide feet widths - typically measuring from 8.5cm to more than 9cm at the broadest part of the forefoot. 

Almost all shoes in the mainstream footwear shops are fitted for medium-width feet. So, a lot of people wearing undersized shoes - foot problems.

 

Asian feet have less resistant plantar fascia - a band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the base of the toes and supports the arch of the foot. Foot sizes can change up to 3 sizes between standing and sitting. Try new shoes standing up, not sitting down!

Buy shoes in the afternoon or evening.Your feet swell because gravity brings  blood and fluids to your lower body. If you buy shoes in the morning, they may feel tight later one.

Buy shoes that are adjustable - straps, laces or a forgiving upper-shoe material such as mesh and microfibre and leave enough room for your foot to expand comfortably. 

Common FOR Asian feet to have a longer second toe than the big toe. Gauge shoe length based on second toe to avoid it being cramped up and affecting my walking.