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By Dr. Kuvent, July 21, 2010 9:03 am

Have you ever wondered why calluses form or what can be done to prevent them? Most of us, at one point or another, have had a callus on either our feet or hands, or maybe even both. But just because you’ve had them doesn’t necessarily mean you know what calluses are, why they form, or perhaps more importantly, how you can be rid of them!

Calluses are areas of thickened skin that develop in response to repeated friction and pressure. They can develop on any part of the body, but are commonly seen on the hands and feet. Believe it or not, they are one way the body attempts to protect the skin and the structures beneath it from getting damaged. If you’re not familiar with thick calluses, find someone who works with their hands, perhaps a construction worker or maybe a musician, and ask them to show their hands to you. They’ll likely have thick calluses on their palms and/or fingertips. These calluses help protect their fingers and palms while playing their stringed instruments or working on the job.

Calluses can of course develop on the feet, usually on the soles under the heel or up under the ball of the feet. This is because these two spots on the feet bear most of the pressures of walking or standing. While this may not be a problem, calluses can become so thick, they start causing pain because of increased pressure.

Unless you happen to live somewhere that allows you to go barefoot all the time, there is a chance your calluses are due to some structural abnormality in your feet. This is why you should use all home care products for removing calluses with caution; while you may be able to remove the callus on your own, temporarily relieving your pain, you may be ignoring more serious conditions that may require medical attention. Some examples of problems in the feet that may cause calluses are flat feet, hammertoes, or bunions. Like many problems of the feet, wearing ill-fitting, narrow shoes are also a risk factor for developing calluses. Wearing shoes that are extra wide and deep, have soft soles and/or lower heels may help to prevent calluses. These shoes avoid placing increased pressure on areas of your feet that weren’t designed to handle the abnormal pressures.

Whether painless or unbearable, calluses have the potential to cause complications. Calluses can harbor infection that leads to pus-like drainage, increased pain, swelling of the feet, and even a fever if the infection becomes widespread throughout the body. In the event this happens, it usually requires antibiotics to clear up. This can be particularly serious in the diabetic population because diabetics tend to have more difficulty in healing properly than non-diabetics.

If you have a bothersome callus, a quick and easy appointment with a podiatrist may be all you need to diagnose the underlying cause of your calluses. Your doctor can shave down the callus in the meantime, relieving your pain, making each step easier and more comfortable.

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By Dr. Kuvent, April 2, 2010 11:56 am

You’ve probably noticed that many television infomercials these days include attorneys who encourage us to seek compensation against various organizations in order to ‘get even’. In many ways, our feet are actually trying to do the same thing! Far from being rigid struts which simply absorb our weight, human feet are very dynamic structures which must work in a coordinated way and adjust to multiple factors in order to balance our bodies and keep us moving. Occasionally, problems in the back or middle of the foot may go unnoticed while forefoot symptoms may arise when trying to compensate for those imbalances.

          Some of the most common foot problems that you’ve probably heard about include bunions, hammertoes, corns, calluses, flatfeet, and other painful disorders. Many of these conditions are actually in part a response of the forefoot to abnormal mechanics in the rear-foot. With each passing step, the heel must first roll outwards a certain distance before rolling back inwards to stabilize the foot. This motion has a huge impact on the outcome of the forefoot, as different tendons will function atypically if the heel motion is abnormal.

          During the push-off stage of walking, the long bones of the forefoot must move downwards in order for the toes to bend properly. This motion is facilitated by those same tendons which are altered by the motion at the heel. Thus when the heel is unstable, the forefoot is also unstable, and forces from the ground can lead to the development of bunions, contracted digits, and other deformities. Just like a teeter-totter, the foot works constantly to balance our weight and to distribute ground forces equally.

          Of course, this ‘compensation’ is not simply one-sided. Sometimes, the deformity lies in the forefoot. For example, the ligaments holding the joints of the mid-foot may become loose or damaged, resulting in a misalignment or a lack of support to one side of the forefoot. In response, the hind-foot will usually compensate by altering it’s normal function to help off-load those high-pressure areas. Similarly, deformities within the shins, knees, or hips may also be mediated by motion at the heel. Sometimes, this compensation is adequate and sometimes it is not. Occasionally, the entire foot structure may change as a result.

          Your local podiatrist in Chandler is very experienced in treating and managing deformities of the foot and ankle which involve pathologic compensation issues. Again, this covers a wide variety of problems, so multiple treatment options may be considered depending on the nature of your symptoms. If you have any questions, feel free to make an appointment.