Foot Corn Prevention

Preventing foot corns is as simple as wearing comfortable footwear and reducing pressure on the feet. Know about the probable foot corn causes through this article and prevent this painful podiatric problem.

Foot corn, athlete's foot and nail fungus are some commonly reported conditions, which often require attention by a trusted podiatrist. When we say corn, it refers to a localized thickening of the skin (hyperkeratosis), after being subjected to continuous high pressure. A foot corn results mostly due to ill-fitted shoes. Thus, the major affected areas are outer side of little toes, and other areas like those between toes and soles of feet.

How to Get Rid of Foot Corns?

Although foot corns are painless in most instances, they can be quite painful when the adjacent nerve is affected, or if they are rubbed against the bone while walking and performing daily activities. Pain is an obvious sign, in case the affected area is irritated and inflamed. Other than wearing tight shoes, the probable causes of foot corns are shoe seams that frequently rub with toes, hammertoes, bunions, gait abnormality and frequent wearing of open shoes without socks.

Treatment for foot corn involves ways to reduce pressure over the affected region. To get relief from the painful corn symptoms, walk barefoot indoors and wear only fitting shoes with high toebox (designed to give enough room for toes). Other foot corn treatment options include wearing corn pads and removing foot corns with a pumice stone after soaking in warm water. Corn plasters, acid wash and paints available without prescription should not be used, as they can lead to ulcers, infection and other side effects.

Tips for Foot Corn Prevention

Individuals whose occupation require walking and standing for most of the times have a higher chance of getting foot corns than others. Not only foot corns are painful, but they look very unsightly. And instead of going through the hassles of foot corn treatment, you can prevent it with simple tips. While foot corn and callus are considered one and same problem, they differ slightly. The former is characterized by presence of a focal point, and callus is thickened skin that spreads over small areas without a focal point. The guidelines to prevent these foot problems remain the same.

While wearing open shoes or sandals frequently, make a point to put socks. Make sure you always change socks to keep feet moisture-free, odor-free and clean.

Some people have the habit of wearing shoes for most of the times. This increases the likeliness of developing foot corns. So, for foot corn prevention, avoid wearing covered shoes indoors. The point is to promote aeration to the toes, whenever possible.

As aforementioned, one of the prime reasons for foot corns is wearing tight fitting shoes. So, select shoes that fit properly, and avoid rubbing of toes to inner side of shoes.

Putting tight shoes also increases the friction between the toes. As there is no space for movement, the toes rub against each other, leading to formation of soft calluses or corn between them.

A simple trick for selecting perfect shoes is to avoid narrow, thin and straight shaped shoes. Wearing such footwear will overtime result in bunions, calluses and foot corns.

As far as possible, purchase shoes that have a wider end on the toe side. Preferably they should have a high toebox (enough space between sole and top side) for accommodating existing foot corns (if any).

For people who have an increased tendency to develop foot corns and calluses, purchasing shoes with extra padding is a necessity. This helps in spreading the pressure and providing support to the balls of the foot and heels, which are common areas of corn appearance.

Last but not the least, the inner side of the shoes should be smooth with less prominent seams. If present, protruding seams tend to rub with toes, thus causing irritation and thickening of skin. Also, it becomes painful to walk or run by wearing such shoes.

Thus, effective foot corn prevention is based on identifying the triggering factors first, and then avoiding them. If at all, corns develop even after adopting the above tips for preventing foot corn and proper feet care, then get them addressed by a qualified podiatrist. Those with chronic cases of corns and bony prominence may require surgical procedure to prevent repeated foot corn problems.