Don’t let hammertoes and corns get in the way of enjoying your activities and doing what you love. Read below to find out why this is occurring and what to look for when shopping for your next shoe!

The most common cause of corns is excessive pressure on a particular area of the body. For a hammertoe, this occurs on top of the “knuckle” of the affected toe (on the proximal interphalangeal joint). The joint bends upwards, causing the toe to “curl” downwards. Often the corn forms at the joint that is raised, which leaves a hardening of the skin on the surface that can cause irritation and pain. Keep in mind that corns can occur anywhere on the foot where there is pressure!

Why Am I Getting a Corn?

There are two main reasons that corns tend to form due to shoes:

• Your shoes are fitting too tight or not deep enough!
  • Tight fitting shoes lead to more pressure on the foot because as you move your foot expands. If there is nowhere for this to occur, pressure is put onto the foot by your shoe. And as the foot moves, the excessive pressure placed on your foot increases the risk of a corn forming. But it’s not just width that matters, but also toe box depth. With hammertoes, if there isn’t enough extra space to accommodate them in the toe box, rubbing can occur as well.
• Loose shoes!
  • On the contrary, shoes that are too loose can cause very similar issues as shoes that are too tight. Often this occurs when shoes are either not tied up tight enough or are just way too big for your feet. This leads to too much extra movement in the shoe and rubbing occurs, leading to blister, corn or callus formation.

What Do I Look For?

First things first, get properly fitted. Sitting down with a BioPed lower limb clinician is key in determining the proper fit. Getting a shoe that fits both in length and width is essential in reducing pressure on your hammertoes and other problem areas.

Next, find a shoe with the extra depth toe box feature. Especially with hammertoes, having extra space in the toe box will keep friction and pressure on the joint at a minimum. An alternative is to find a leather-based shoe. A leather shoe can be more easily stretched at problem areas to create pockets of relief and keep you comfortable all day long.

Another great idea is to look for shoes that have few seams or have mesh/stretchy material over problem areas. Often sites of corns or blisters occur at the location of seams. By reducing the amount of seams or even switching to a meshed shoe with more give can be a great way to keep those feet happy.

In some cases, orthotics might be necessary to control your hammertoes. A sulcus pad in orthotics provides support to the toes and minimizes gripping, which worsens hammertoes over time. If orthotics are required, having a shoe that has a removable insole is essential to giving your orthotic and foot extra space in your shoe.

BioPed Chiropodists/Footcare Nurses offer corn trimming services to reduce the pressure and pain on your toe if a corn is present.

Finally, BioPed clinics sell toe accessories, such as silicone toe sleeves to minimize pain associated with toe corns when wearing closed toe shoes.

Come See Us!

Footwear can be tough! If you can’t quite find that perfect fit and are experiencing corns or blistering, please book an appointment with us today! At BioPed Footcare, whether its bracing, shoes, or footwear we are here for you. With our on-site lab there is nothing we can’t do! Meet with one of BioPed’s lower limb clinicians to see how you can keep your feet and legs healthy!

If you’re experiencing common painful foot conditions like plantar fasciitis, bunions, or flat feet, a Registered Chiropodist can help you in many ways! However, if you are struggling with more skin and nail-related concerns, such as ingrown toenails, calluses, corns, or warts, seek the expertise of a Registered Chiropodist or an Advanced Footcare Nurse.

But when should you opt for a chiropodist vs a footcare nurse?

In simple terms, choose a BioPed Registered Chiropodist when you require orthotics, a prescription (for medicine or orthotics, shoes or bracing), have an infection, have a foot wound, may require surgery or numbing (by injection), or are neuropathic (have little to no sensation in your feet). Chiropodists can prescribe oral and topical medications and administer injections into the feet. They can also offer surgeries on skin and toenails.

An Advanced Footcare Nurse provides trimming for calluses, corns, thick or ingrown toenails, and treatment for foot warts. They perform most of the same skin and toenail treatments as a Chiropodist, except for surgeries, injections and prescriptions.

If you are suffering from any of the following conditions, then medical footcare at BioPed is the right service for you!

Fungal toenails

Fungal nails can be thick, misshapen, discoloured, crumbly and smelly. They can occur on the big or small toes and are treated with regular debridement, topical or oral antifungal medications.

For topical solutions to be effective, the nail must be thin enough for the treatment to penetrate to the nail bed where the fungus resides. A Chiropodist or Footcare Nurse can significantly reduce the thickness of the nail plate. If necessary, a Chiropodist can remove the nail plate altogether.

Ingrown toenails

A painful toenail border (or edge) due to the nail growing into the soft tissue is considered an “ingrown toenail.”

You may experience pain when the nails are significantly curved or when a spike of a nail punctures the skin at the side of the nail. Ingrown toenails usually respond well to correct nail cutting techniques, properly fitted footwear and patient education.

BioPed Chiropodists and Footcare Nurses can opt to apply a toenail brace, which helps alleviate pressure at the sides and retrains the nail edges to grow straighter. Registered Chiropodists can also perform toenail avulsions to remove the offending nail edge and prevent a recurrence.

Corns & calluses

Corns and calluses appear as thickened skin on the bottom or tops of the feet and in between the toes.

Corns and calluses can be painful because of the high pressure or friction caused when skin builds up in local area. To offset the pain in the feet, a person might alter how they walk, creating other issues, such as knee pain.

BioPed Chiropodists and Footcare Nurses will trim corns and calluses and recommend a topical moisture regime that will help with hard and dry skin. Chiropodists can also prescribe custom foot orthotics, which can correct gait and offload high-pressure areas, reducing the corn / callus pain and need to return for frequent trimming. BioPed clinicians can also recommend properly fitted footwear appropriate for specific activities and your foot type, to increase comfort and function.

Plantar warts

Plantar warts are found most commonly on the bottom of our feet and are contagious. 

Warts have a cauliflower-like texture, black dots centrally, and are usually painful when lateral pressure is applied. They are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and can be challenging to cure.

Registered Chiropodists and Advanced Footcare Nurses will debride wart tissue to allow chosen treatments to work better. This could include topical solutions such as salicylic acid and Cantharidin. In addition to conservative treatments, Chiropodists can also perform wart needling and wart excision.

Toe deformities

Hammertoes, claw toes and mallet toes are all forms of toe “deformities”. They refer to toes that bend at one or both toe joints, creating a toe that is not straight. They can cause calluses, corns, pain, and discomfort, making finding the right footwear a seemingly impossible task.

To address toe deformities, a silicone sleeve may be recommended, or Chiropodists can make a custom toe prop, which can help straighten the toes and prevent rubbing, when weight-bearing. BioPed clinicians will also address any calluses or corns that have arisen due to the toe deformity and makes recommendations for footwear.

Diabetes & foot health

People who have diabetes are more susceptible to infection, cold feet and other complications, such as peripheral neuropathy. To ensure proper foot health is maintained, BioPed Chiropodists and Footcare Nurses will perform routine nail and skin care. Diabetic Risk Assessments are 3-minute evaluations performed in clinic to determine a person’s risk for foot complications. Following this evaluation, the clinician will provide education on how to inspect feet at home in between appointments to ensure they stay healthy.

Biomechanical treatment

Registered Chiropodists are trained in assessing gait (walking pattern/style) and the quality of movement of the foot and lower limb joints and muscles. Depending on the lower body mechanics, a Chiropodist may prescribe custom foot orthotics to correct alignment and/or provide protection to the foot or improve the way someone walks or runs.

Whether you’re an elite athlete, a recreational runner or just someone who wants to stay active and healthy, a BioPed Chiropodist can help you move better and more efficiently, which can prevent injury and alleviate discomfort.

How do I book an appointment?

BioPed Registered Chiropodists and Advanced Footcare Nurses can help improve your foot health and comfort, alleviate foot pain, and get you back to doing more of what you love in life.

Contact your local BioPed and schedule an appointment to find out how a Registered Chiropodist or Advanced Footcare Nurse can help you today!

It is always nice to escape our cold Canadian winter for warmer temperatures and sunshine.  Catching some rays and taking a dip in a refreshing swimming pool usually means our bare feet are exposed.  Unfortunately, public spaces, such as a pool deck could be a breeding ground for skin infections and result in catching a common skin lesion, known as a wart.

Warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and they are contagious, meaning they can be spread from person to person.  They can develop anywhere on the body including the sole of the foot.   Plantar warts, referred to as verruca plantaris in the medical world, can be pesky and hard to eradicate. Children and teenagers tend to be more susceptible to warts than adults.

BioPed’s Medical Footcare Clinicians are trained and equipped to treat warts but commonly find their clients mistake warts for corns.  It is imperative to know what condition you have before initiating any treatment.

What causes warts? 

Walking barefoot on surfaces where the HPV may be lurking will increase your risk for exposure.  HPV thrives in moist, warm environments, such as pool decks, locker room floors and showers.  There are over a hundred different strains of this virus, but only a few are linked to warts on the feet.  Not everyone who is exposed to HPV will develop a wart.  A weak immune system or a break in the exposed skin can increase a person’s risk for developing a wart.

If left untreated, warts can grow and become quite large and they can also spread into clusters of several warts which are called mosaic warts.  Although rare, warts can become cancerous if left untreated, making diagnosis and treatment even more important.

Warts and corns can be confused as they often have a similar appearance.  A corn is caused by friction and pressure; related to the way we walk and the types of footwear we choose.   They develop over time and typically do not spontaneously disappear.

What do warts look like?

Plantar warts are usually flat on the surface and may have a cauliflower-like texture.  Squeezing or applying pressure at the sides can elicit pain.  Plantar warts often contain tiny black dots in the centre.  These dots indicate bleeding from the smallest blood vessels in our body and are a common feature of warts.  Warts need a supply of blood to feed the virus and keep it alive.

How are warts treated?

If you suspect you have a wart, it is always best to have it assessed to determine it is in fact a wart.  At-home treatments do exist, but they need to be used with caution.  Salicylic acid is a treatment that can be purchased over-the-counter and is applied to the wart as a solution or a cream and is then covered.

How BioPed can help

If at-home treatment is not working, BioPed Registered Chiropodists and Advanced Footcare Nurses use a variety of treatment options that are not available at drugstores and often, not through primary care providers.