Sore feet! And what's a "corn" anyway?

[vampireslayer]

Well, I'm on my 3rd pair of shoes, and really thought that these were going to work for me. I like athletic shoes rather than nursing shoes...it's just a style thing for me. They're "Easy Spirit" shoes.

Here's the problem: the last few weeks I've noticed that the outside of my little toe is sore, both feet, but worse on one. I have wide feet and if I have a choice I get wide shoes, but these are not, they're "medium" width.

There's a little "bump" on the outside of the toes, where they're rubbing on the shoes...but it took MONTHS for this to happen. They were fine when I first got them. I can tell, though, that as this bump gets larger, it's going to press against the side of the shoe more & more, and so the problem will get worse & worse. It's very sore, I can't even press on that little toe with my finger, without some pain, even after several days of not working & not wearing those shoes.

So is this little red bump just a callous, or is it a "corn". What is a corn anyway? I always thought it was similar to a wart, and this doesn't look like a wart, it just looks like, well, a bump.

I bought some Dr. Scholl's "corn pads" to cushion the spots, and that has helped a lot. So my question is, are these corns, and should I buy the "corn remover" pads that I saw at the store? If they're not corns, then I'm hoping just cushioning them for a while will reduce the friction, and maybe the bumps/callouses or whatever it is will eventually go away.

And of course my other choice is to buy the same style of shoe (since I thought I'd FINALLY found one that didn't hurt my feet) but in a wide width. But I'm afraid that right now, because these bumps are so big and so painful, that even a new wider shoe won't solve the problem.

Thanks!

VS

[analee23]

I have numerous foot problems, I develloped a similar problem on my little toe... solution? I went to a podiatrist, he made me some custom orthotics and shaved down the bump and I wore the orthotics for awhile, but found some shoes that I didn't need them with for nursing. I have narrow feet, so don't think I can help ya there. But, I think seeing a podiatrist would be a good solution. Best of luck!!!

[Bipley]

One thought is to try Crocs brand. The way the shoes fit is to NOT touch the sides of your feet. If they fit properly the only part of the shoe that should touch your foot is the bottom. There should be a bit of air between the sides/top of your foot and the shoe.

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

I would also recommend a podiatrist- they're the experts at this. I had a custom orthotic made and it has made all the difference in the world. I also buy my work shoes a size larger. At first I was worried I might get blisters but it hasn't happened-they're just more comfortable. I guess my feet swell after being on them a few hours.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I cannot believe some people go so much longer in life without any of the common foot problems. I've had corns since the age of 12.

My foot problems became worse when I took a job at a factory and had to wear steel-toe boots to protect my feet from heavy falling objects. Not only did I have corns, but now I began to develop calluses on the bottom of my feet.

Corns, calluses, and bunnions were a common sight during my childhood, since I came from a working-class household and both parents worked at industrial factories. They, too, wore steel-toe shoes that were very unkind to their feet. As a child I would watch them perform bathroom surgeries on their feet by rubbing sandpaper on their calluses and using razor blades to cut away the corns and bunnions. :uhoh21:

[grimmy, RN]

[color=darkslategray]i, too, recommend a podiatrist. i have had a corn in the past, but my podiatrist shaved it (no pain at all) and it never grew back. basically, its an area of skin that develops into a "concentrated" callus, particularly on a joint, like over the little toe. but you will probably have to change your shoe. most folks can link the corn to a particular usually-worn shoe.

[greatshakes]

Hi All

I hobble around like an old woman about 2 1/2-3 weeks after I go to my podiatrist every month. My little toes are like little fat lumps and I have corns between toes and hard skin on the fourth toe along top. I am thinking of having surgery. I don't wear cheap shoes and Ihate having sore feet. The podiatrist i spoke to yesterday said he has heard of a surgeon who has had good result with surgery and they just remove a joint in the small toe. Hs anyone heard about joint surgery

on toes for corns please? Achey breaky feet:uhoh3:

[shoes]

Try European Sole, its pure genius what there doing!