Foot Callosity?

Foot Callosity?

This is due to ill fitted shoes, different walking posture/habit, high heels , knee/joint pains. various medical and surgical treatments are available.

Cracked Foot

Cracked Heel

What does a cracked heel look like

Cracked heels are a common foot problem that are often referred to as heel fissures. Cracked heels are commonly caused by dry skin (xerosis), and made more complicated if the skin around the rim of the heel is thick (callus). For most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem but when the fissures or cracks are deep, they are painful to stand on and the skin can bleed – in severe cases this can become infected.

What are the symptoms of cracked heels

If the cracks are bad enough there will be pain on weight bearing, that is not there when weight is off the heel. The edges or rim around the heel will generally have a thicker area of skin (callus). Wearing open or thin soled shoes usually make the symptoms worse.

 

What causes cracked heels

Some people tend to have a naturally dry skin that predisposes them to the cracks. The thickened dry skin (callus) around the heel that is more likely to crack is often due to mechanical factors that increase pressures in that area (eg the way you walk).

Other factors that can be involved in the cause of cracked heels include:

  • prolonged standing (at work or home, especially on hard floors)
  • being overweight (this increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand sideways – if the skin is not supple and flexible, the pressures to ‘crack’ are high)
  • open back on the shoes (this allows the fat under the heel to expand sideways and increases the pressure to ‘crack’)
  • some medical conditions predispose to a drying skin (eg autonomic neuropathy in those with diabetes leads to less sweating; an underactive thyroid lowers the body’s metabolic rate and there is a reduction in sweating, leading to a dryness of the skin)
  • skin conditions (eg psoriasis and eczema)

Corn Foot

Corn Foot

A corn is a localized thickening of the skin due to pressure. Corns often occur on the top of the toes where there is pressure from the shoes. However, they also occur at the sole of the foot and in between toes. Certain corns may become entwined with the nerves of the skin, these corns are particularly painful. Often corns develop a core which is often referred to as the “root” by patients. Corns can be very painful, especially if there is inflammation and swelling around the corn.

This condition is more prevalent in females as a result of wearing tight or ill-fitting shoes. Corns appear as white/ gray or yellow/ brown in colour depending on your skin type. Symptoms include pain and swelling around the corn and discomfort with direct pressure.

Above is a photograph of a corn on top of the 2nd toe.

CAUSES OF CORNS

  • Tight shoes
  • Deformed toes (Hammer toes)
  • Seam or stitch inside the shoe which rubs against the toe
  • Abnormality of gait (walking)
  • Surgery to the lower extremities
  • Bunions
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