Corns and Callouses

Many people have corns or callouses on their feet. These lesions are caused through an increase in pressure on specific areas of the foot. They are often accompanied by underlying conditions such as hallux valgus (bunion) or hammer toe deformity.

A simple care regime can be extremely effective with clinical treatment of the lesion together with the use of simple supports. It is occasionally necessary to correct the underlying deformity, which can sometimes mean a surgical procedure.

When you attend our clinic the causes of these lesions will be fully discussed with you and simple self help measures along with treatment in clinic will often result in a marked improvement in symptoms. We will always recommend appropriate foot wear, insoles and skin/nail care.

Sometimes the lesions are caused by other factors such as:

• Viral infection
• Nerve and blood vessel enlargement

These tend to be extremely resistant to simple care and often require a small surgical excision under local anaesthetic. Tissue would then be sent for laboratory examination. Sometimes treatment will include cryotherapy where the tissues are frozen, or electro surgery to destroy the painful nerve endings.

When a fuller understanding of the foot mechanics is necessary a full biomechanical examination or a gait analysis may be recommended. Both of these procedures can now be carried out in our practice.