Dry corn hurts: what are the reasons and what to do?

With complaints that dry callus on the leg hurts when walking, doctors very often come across and draw the attention of patients to problems that could be resolved in a timely manner and painful symptoms could be avoided.

Causes dry callus pain

The causes of dry calluses, as well as their symptoms, are discussed in detail in the publication  Calluses and Calluses

Risk factors

And the main risk factors for painful sensations are the lack of timely treatment of dry calluses or corns. Many people continue to wear narrow, uncomfortable shoes, prefer high heels (to the detriment of leg health), and in the presence of flat feet or age-related deformity of the foot, they do not use such a simple and effective remedy as corrective orthopedic insoles and instep supports. [1]

The progression of keratinization of skin areas on the sole is not so much a cosmetic problem as a medical one, although it is often cosmetics that often fight dry skin. Therefore, an unsuccessful attempt to remove dry calluses in a pedicure salon can lead to the development of inflammation, when redness, swelling of the soft tissues of the foot, the formation of a necrosis focus with the release of serous-purulent exudate join the pain. [2]

Therefore, when, for example, a dry callus hurts on the little finger, on the big toe or on the ball of the foot, you should not contact the master who does the pedicure, but the orthopedist, but rather the  podiatrist .

Pathogenesis

The skin of the foot, including the sole, has many pain receptors (nociceptors). And the pathogenesis of  pain in the sole  is that the constant mechanical pressure of the keratin core of the corn on the underlying tissues affects the skin pain receptors and irritates them. In response to this stimulation, a nerve signal is generated, first coming along the axon to the spinal cord (in the area of its posterior horn), and then to the head - along the spinothalamic tract. The result is a feeling of pain. [3]

Complications and consequences

The pain that a dry callus can cause anywhere on the feet is simply unbearable and does not allow normal movement.

Such a callus can bleed, as its deeply grown stem can damage the skin capillaries.

Diagnostics dry callus pain

In this case, the diagnosis is based on the patient's complaints and the examination of the feet.

In doubtful cases, differential diagnostics using  dermatoscopy is  performed to identify other causes of pain, in particular, flat feet, plantar wart, plantar fasciitis (heel spur), deforming arthritis of the joints, foot neuroma, age-related metatarsalgia, palmar-plantar hyperkeratosis and keratoderma.

Treatment dry callus pain

What to do when dry corn hurts? For a while, ointments belonging to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs containing diclofenac sodium, as well as reflex-distracting ointments with menthol, camphor or capsaicin, can relieve pain.

For example, Bom-benge (Ben-gay) ointments with methyl ester of salicylic acid and menthol or Doloxen fast (which, in addition to methyl salicylate and menthol, contains camphor and turpentine oil), which is recommended to be rubbed into a large place two or three times in during the day.

But these drugs for external use are a temporary measure, and in order to solve the problem, you need to use means to remove dry corns. First of all, agents (ointments) with salicylic acid are used, for example,  Hemosol .

Also used:

• Callus ointments
• Ointments and creams for corns
• Callus creams
• Plasters for dry calluses on the toes  (Salipod, Urgokor, Kompid)

Alternative treatment - with a detailed description of the most popular methods - is given in the material -  Core corn: causes of appearance, structure, treatment

Herbal treatment can be carried out: hot foot baths for steaming calcifications with a decoction of chamomile, sage, birch leaves, willow bark, licorice or burdock root, etc.

In advanced cases or if it is impossible to remove dry corn with medications, surgical treatment is performed, which involves its removal by electrocoagulation, laser burning or cryodestruction (freezing) with liquid nitrogen.

Prevention

The main thing in preventing the appearance of rod dry calluses and corns is to wear comfortable shoes that do not squeeze the foot; women do not wear shoes with very high heels (because of them, the load on the anatomical structures of the plantar part of the foot is not distributed correctly); knock out shoes with thick enough soles.

It is also important to fight excess weight, wear special insoles for flat feet, and prevent overdrying of the skin on the soles of the feet.

Forecast

Dry calluses can be cleaned up, but to avoid relapses, you should carefully groom your feet and wear suitable shoes.