Copyright (c) 2010 Mitchell Wachtel DPM

A corn is a development of thickened dead tissue on a toe due to irritation. Corns can be quite painful. They typically occur due to mechanical irritation of the toe up against the shoe. Friction and repeated pressure causes the skin to become thick and painful. The reason hammertoes are painful is either due to a corn or bursitis, which is an inflammation of the toe. Swelling sometimes occurs under the toe where the pressure is. It is important to be evaluated if you have a corn because the corn can become quite thick and flaky. These corns or calluses can often be very painful to walk on, even when they are very small. Corns can also cause an infection or ulceration (breakdown in the skin). Infections and ulcers can be dangerous with risk of bone infection and/or gangrene.

Corns are very common. They are most often seen on the metatarsal arch (the ball of the foot) and on the outside of the pinky toe. These are places where the foot rubs against the shoe if the shoe does not fit properly. Another place corns are found is between the fourth and fifth toe. Usually this type of corn is a whitish color and softer than other types of corns. These are often called "soft corns".

Diabetic patients are commonly seen in podiatry offices because they do not pay attention to their feet. If a corn is not watched there may be bleeding in the area, become swollen and can become dangerous for the diabetic patient. Most importantly we recommend being evaluated for this problem by a podiatrist.

Multiple treatment options are available in podiatry offices. Simply peeling of the corn can usually provide relief. Accommodative shoe gear is one way of conservatively treating the problem with an extra depth shoe or very wide sneaker. This limits the amount of pressure and rubbing on the toe, which is many times the reason there is a corn in the first place. There are types of pads to put over the corn to prevent rubbing. These pads and cushions can be found in drug stores or you can ask your doctor what they recommend. If the toe is still swollen and painful after debridement (the removal of the affected tissue) we recommend possible cortisone injection. Lastly if conservative treatment fails we recommend a surgical procedure where we remove a small piece of bone and straighten the toe with very little post-operative course.