Podiatry: Corns

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Corns

This week I thought I'd discuss a mundane topic which, nevertheless, can either be troublesome or downright painful, depending on the severity - I refer, of course, to corns, or helomata to give them their full medical title.

Corns are a subject for humour - they have a Music-Hall joke connotation. In that comedy classic 'Three Men in a Boat', Jerome K Jerome emphasizes the contentment that George, Harris, 'J' and Montmorency (the dog) feel after their first decent meal afloat. George, who would have usually cursed roundly when his corn was trodden on, simply murmurs "Steady, old man; 'ware wheat" - his contentment being such that even Harris (who 'J' describes as a well-made man of about number one size) treading on his corn could not upset him!

What is a corn?

Corns are simply a build-up of hard skin that has been pressed into the striae of the skin to form a nucleus. They are caused by pressure or friction, and are not in themselves painful - the pain comes from the surrounding inflamed area.

How common are they?

You'd be surprised! They affect women more than men, particularly if tight shoes have been worn over a long period of time. There are several different types of corn - the most common being a hard corn (which forms on the tops of toes and under the foot) and the soft corn (which forms between the toes - ouch!)

What to do

Visit a good chiropodist who will pare the corn down. If the corn keeps coming back, visit a podiatrist who can assess your foot mechanics. Sometimes it is the foot mechanics rather than the tight footwear that are at fault, and these can be addressed with a suitable foot orthotic.

What not to do

• Don't be tempted to use patent corn-cures. These are always nearly always acid-based and can open the way for a nasty infection if they burn too deeply.
• Don't have surgery. My opinion (borne from long years of working with feet) is that surgery is not usually necessary to cure a corn, unless the foot or toe is very deformed.
• Don't complain that the 'root' has not been removed if the corn returns after treatment. Corns do not have roots - if you have a corn which refuses to clear up, even after treatment, it is either because there is still excessive pressure or shearing at the corn-site, or you may have a verruca which has been wrongly diagnosed as a corn. Think of a verucca as an ingrown wart-it isn't caused by pressure, but by a virus.

Finally, don't put up with corns. Good treatment, aimed at pain relief and corn eradication is available. What's more, you should still be able to wear your favourite shoes!

Please feel free to use the enquiry form at www.ortho-pedclinic.com for all foot-health and foot-related matters.
David Holland BSc(Hons), MSc(Dunelm), MChS
Consulting Podiatrist.