At Kelso Foot Clinic, we work with a lot of patients who have corns and callus which cause discomfort in shoes and when walking. There are lots of treatment options which we can provide at our clinic and also through home visits. So, please give us a ring to make an appointment if you’re in pain.
Get In TouchHave you noticed that the skin is thicker on the heel and ball of your foot? Our feet have this thick skin in order to withstand the pressure of walking and standing. However, when the pressure becomes excessive, some areas of skin thicken further in the form of corns and callus. The body creates these thicker areas of skin as a protective response to the friction of skin rubbing against bone, the ground or a shoe.
Callus (or callosity) is an extended area of thickened, hard skin on the soles of the feet. It can be cause by inappropriate footwear, a particular walking style or an underlying issue such as a bone deformity. Elderly people are more likely to get callus on the ball of their foot because they have less fatty tissue in their skin and the callus forms to provide additional protection.
Corns are caused by pressure or friction over bony areas, such as a joint. Pain comes from the fact that the corn has a central core which can press on a nerve. Different types of corn including hard corn, soft corn, tiny seed corn, vascular corn and fibrous corn. Each type presents different issues for the foot and varying levels of pain.
Please do not cut corns yourself, especially if you are elderly or have diabetes. Kelso Foot Clinic can treat corns painlessly: by applying appropriate padding; prescribing insoles to relieve pressure; or fit corrective solutions to give long term relief.
We can help with callus in several ways. We can remove hard skin as well as relieve pain by redistributing the pressure on the foot. This can be done with soft padding, strapping or corrective appliances that fit within your existing shoes. All of these treatments will help the skin to return to its normal state.
Elderly people often lose some of the natural padding on their feet, and Kelso Foot Clinic can provide soft padding to compensate. We can also suggest skin preparations (e.g. emollient creams) to help improve the skin’s natural elasticity – this can help to delay callus build-up.
If you have corns and callus which are causing discomfort, please get in touch as there is so much we can do to help. You can make an appointment at the Kelso Foot Clinic, located at Kelso Health & Wellness, or you can ask us for a home visit.