What is a corn? Most people think it’s a callus that can simply be cut out. Not exactly. It is a callus, but making it go away isn’t as simple as you may think. And no, you can’t just put acid on it or cut it out. Well, you can, but more than likely it will come back.
A corn is nothing more than a callus in response to pressure from the underlying bone. It is very common for corns to form between the fourth and fifth toes and the great toe and second to. Many times this can be a result of wearing tight shoes. If it is something that has been present for many years and will not go away, the underlying bone has probably enlarged do to the chronic pressure. If this is the case, removing the bony prominence will resolve the lesion. Padding or toe spacers can also help, but the prominence will remain and the corn will typically come back when one stops wearing the spacer.
- Image demonstrating bones 2. Arrow pointing to bone causing corn.
3. White demonstrating bone to be removed. 4. Post op X-ray after removal of bone.
