AIBU to want to talk to you about CORNS?!

[GammonAndEgg]

Ouch! On both little toes.
I've never had them before but years of ill fitting beautiful shoes have taken their toll!

What to do, oh vipers?

Photo snt the greatest, but it's the red circle above the nail on her second toe. It kind of has a bit of a head to it in the middle.

Another word on corns - if you remove the cause, they won't come back. So if the cause was your wedding day heels, a new pair of shoes that have now stretched a bit, a month of swollen pregnancy feet, or a prominent bone in your foot, they won't come back. That's how come some corns keep recurring and not others. Nothing to do with the method of removal.

Some people genuinely have feet that do not fit into shoes that are commercially available, and of various reasons custom made shoes aren't worn. Surgery can help, but, quite rightly, for many people the prevention of a corn is not worth the cost (not talking about £££s) of surgery.

viva it's hard to tell from a picture, but it looks and sounds as if it may well be a corn.

Thanks Happy. Will try a corn plaster first. She had some awful ballerina type school shoes for a bit which thankfully fell apart. Now, clumpy Clarks shoes appear to be for teens so hoping it won't come back.

damsel we have a lot of patients who reckon they'd kick if anyone tried to touch their feet. Teeth and feet is what most people feel most squeamish about. We are so used to it (not being kicked, people feeling funny about having their feet touched!) that we can work around it. It's just sort of different having them touched in a professional setting and isn't really an issue.

so, people, don't suffer, get those toes checked out!!!

viva if you must, just be VERY careful. There's not a lot of callus to protect that area, and you're looking at putting acid awfully close to a joint. I really would feel uncomfortable about that location in particular. And especially when you're not certain of the diagnosis.

Instead, try filing it with a nail file (gently. Though I assume her health and sensation are normal?). That will reduce some of the bulk and the centre might flick out (but don't go picking at it!!). Moisturiser over the area might help.

Really, though, I'd recommend getting it seen to professionally.

Ok, thanks. Will make an appt for her.

Sorry, my turn to hijack

Advice upthread for PF and arthritis that seems contradictive. What do you suggest if you have both? (Autoimmune arthritis and hypermobile due to eds)

(I have seen a podiatrist who recommended only ever wearing trainers)

Hi beyond your poor feet :( which bits of advice in particular did you find contradictory?

Beyond, if you have autoimmune arthritis I think that's quite different from osteo-arthritis / wear & tear of the toe joint. I'm afraid I don't know much about the former, but if that's your podiatrist's advice & it helps, then I'd carry on doing that.

With osteo-arthritis the cartilage has worn away, so you have bones rubbing together whenever the big toe joint is working. Hence the stiff-soled shoe advice, to limit the joint's movement. I'm guessing that with auto-immune arthritis you're focussing more on cushioning the inflamed joint, so trainers would help more?

Having said all that, I find some trainers pretty good for my toes too (osteo-arthritis), as long as they're not too flexible.

Sorry, to clarify it was the splinting/no heels vs stretching toes/heels that looked contradictory :)

No tbh i tried wearing trainers and it made the pain worse, i couldnt stand at all (my movement is already v limited due to those and a lovely long list of other problems). Usually I wear docs most of the time, birkenstocks in the pitiful british summer

I think i remember the reason trainers were specificied was something to do with the shaped toe, so you dont have to bend your foot? I know he said "no fitflops" as they would be awful for my (hypermobile) ankles, even though they have the right toe.

(Maybe i could reword I cant stretch my toes due to the sausage-toe-ness going on, nor my ankles too much because of the hypermobility, nor wear heels due to the arthritis, and already wear decent shoes. So what would you then recommend to help the pf. Or is that heading into specialist areas, as is the ^^ usual answer )

(Sorry again for the hijack. Good luck with your corn op, they are a pita xx)

beyond yes I understand and thought that might be what you meant. EDS and an autoimmune arthritis sounds un-fun.

To be honest, I can't give any advice on that without wIthout seeing the feet and discussing the particular situation.

But here are my musings, if it helps:

With regards to the heels - often people with plantar fasciitis find their symptoms improve with (high) heels. However, heels don't really help the big picture situation and we don't recommend them. A shoe heel height of about an inch is pretty normal - even your trainers will have a slight heel. Sometimes I'll prescribe a heel raise, usually in the short term. Mega flat shoes like ballet flats are a no-no for many foot types, but particularly for the type of foot typical of plantar fasciitis. Birkenstocks are also very flat (there will be a higher heel on your docs and trainers).

Doc martins and Birkenstocks will bend a lot less at the ball of your foot than trainers. Trainers will usually facilitate bending at the ball of your foot. Again, can't give advice on which path you need to go down. But if "splinting" with a rigid sole helps the symptoms, well, that is kinda hard to ignore.

If you have plantar fasciitis and hypermobility, I would make an educated guess that your feet are fairly pronated ("flat") and that could be addressed. Pronation is a common major contributing factor to pl fasciitis. A supportive shoe will help. Have you been prescribed orthotics before? Just because the vast majority of patients with p fasciitis have tight muscles doesn't mean everyone does.

I hope my ramblings make sense! It's hard to give relavent advice without knowing the full picture

If really flat shoes are a bad thing, is it bad to be barefoot much of the time, around the house?

A short answer is - no, it's fine.

A long answer is - it depends. If I stand up for a long time with no shoes on (ironing, for example) then my back hurts. But then I have flat feet.

Oh gosh, I have the worst corn on the little toe on my right foot. I cut it out myself and file it down, and it regenerates like magic - I couldn't afford to keep going to the chiropodist because it grows back so fast. GRIM.

Fair point. But - a podiatrist will be better at getting it out. So it'll last longer. And they will come up with ideas to relive the pressure on the area, which will also help make it last longer. We know money doesn't grow on trees. We try to make it so that patients need to see us less and less often.

Ooh, could I ask a question please? I get a pain on the middle of the instep of my left foot, sometimes it feels 'crunchy' like some bones are rubbing together or something, other times it is a burning or throbbing pain that can be quite severe for a while, it goes away if I put my feet up for a while. Painkillers (ibuprofen) do not seem to help much. Fine if I wear wellies or crocs, bad if I wear flat lace up boots. I had it for a month earlier this year, other times it comes and goes day by day. I keep meaning to go to the gp, but can guarantee that I will not have the pain by the time I get to an appointment! Would a podiatrist be able to advise, or is it an X-ray job? Thank you in advance.

bigbluestars Ive never ever worn heels not even as a teen because I've got collapsed arches and have suffered with corns, callouses and veruccas since I was 10. I also have pronation and plantar fasciitus (sp).

I can't afford a chiropodist or birkenstocks or fancy insoles to help the state of my feet so I put up with the pain. I've suffered with plantar fasciitus for years.

don't judge please

I've only gone and booked a chiropodist appointment!

Well done gammon xxx

Gammon how did you get on? I went yesterday and feet feel heavenly .

This thread is fascinating.

Experts, can I ask a question about fungal nail infection? I've had it (and my GP agrees) on one big toe for about 5 years and have never had antibiotics, for one reason or another. Is there a chance that a "home remedy" like apple cider vinegar or lavender oil might help? Or am I being silly, and should just get some antibiotics?! Thanks in advance!

Brill thread.

Experts - can I ask how you tell the difference between metatarsalgia and a Morton's neuroma?