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What Are Foot Corns?

A corn is a concentrated, often circular, yellow or clear patch of thickened skin with a dense area of skin at the centre (known as the core) that develops on the foot (on the top or side of a toe or under the ball of the foot) as a result of excessive direct pressure.

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This hard skin develops as your body attempts to protect the underlying tissue, joint/s, or bone that are beneath the area of the foot experiencing the excess pressure, and it is often painful.

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Corns are often confused with calluses as they look and feel similar. A callus differs from a corn in that it is a larger, more diffused area of skin. A callus is not as deep as a corn but can still be painful.

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There are 4 different types of corns:

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• Hard corns
  Develop on the tops of the toes or on the ball of the feet.

• Soft corns
  Develop in between the toes, most often between the fourth and fifth toes.

• Seed corns
  Very small and most often don't require intervention as they generally aren't painful but can be associated with dry feet.

• Neurovascular corns
  Often quite painful and incorporates blood vessels and nerve endings, both of which make them harder to treat

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If corns are left untreated they may ulcerate and/or become infected which can be quite serious for a diabetic.

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What Are the Causes of Corns?

Foot corns can be caused by a number of different factors including:
 

• Biomechanics
  Poor biomechanics (i.e. how different parts of your body move together) is one of the most common causes. Biomechanic foot issues such as flat or high arches can also result in corns. Poor foot mechanics can result in other related issues such as hammer toes, claw toes, and bunions, which in turn create excess pressure on a concentrated area of the foot that can cause a corn to form. For this reason, we may begin your appointment with a biomechanical assessment to identify any underlying causes.

• Thin skin
  Thin skin is often a cause, as the body attempts to protect the underlying tissue, joint/s, or bone by thickening the skin. Thin skin is most commonly associated with ageing, however other factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and medications can contribute to having thin skin.

• Shoes
  Wearing shoes that are too tight, loose, narrow, high, or ill-fitting can cause corns as they rub on the foot and result in excessive direct pressure on a centralised area of the foot.

• Socks
  Socks that are too tight or ill-fitting can create pressure or rub on the foot.

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What Are the Symptoms of Corns?

A corn is often painful and foot function may be affected as a result of that pain.

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Symptoms can include discomfort when you walk, and pain if you rub the corn or apply any sort of pressure to the area, such as by wearing tight shoes or ill-fitting shoes.

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Treatment is usually required at this stage.

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How Does North Sydney Podiatry Treat Corns?

Before removing the corn, we identify the cause/s so that we can suggest the most appropriate treatment. This is where your podiatrist may perform a biomechanical assessment and review your medical history.

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A biomechanical assessment, also known as a gait analysis involves assessing your foot and lower limb biomechanics. This involves observing how different parts of your body move and if they are functioning and moving together correctly. Our podiatrists are highly trained in identifying biomechanical abnormalities and will develop a customised treatment plan for your unique problem.

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The reason that this assessment is so important is that we must treat not only the corn itself, but the cause/s of it in order to prevent a corn from returning. We focus on ways to offload the affected areas by providing personalised shoe advice (which may include footwear changes) and in some cases we may recommend custom orthotics.

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Custom orthotics are prescription shoe inserts that support your feet, realign your hips and legs and make everyday activities like standing, walking and running more comfortable. They control the alignment and mechanics of your foot and send sensory feedback to the brain that results in changes to your gait, improving foot mechanics. This helps to redistribute pressure and correct any biomechanical issues that are causing corns.

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We recommend custom orthotics that are personalised to suit your foot as they are perfectly tailored to your unique bone structure and foot issues.

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Following this, treatment involves the removal of the corn by gently paring down the hard skin to remove the callous and anucleate the corns (which is like scooping them out). This provides immediate relief and removal is typically pain-free.

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What Do I Need to Bring to My Appointment?

• Current footwear including sports and everyday shoes.

• Shorts so you can comfortably do the assessments.

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Don't Ignore Your Corns

If you have issues with foot corns, it's important that you get them treated by a podiatrist as soon as possible to prevent the symptoms from worsening.

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Without treatment, they can become extremely painful, and the longer you wait, the more difficult removal may be.

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At North Sydney Podiatry, we believe early diagnosis and treatment are key to relieving the pain and discomfort caused by foot corns.

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Contact North Sydney Podiatry today to book in with a podiatrist for an assessment by calling (02) 9954 3445 or filling out our booking form.

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​Frequently Asked Questions