Do you Need to See a Podiatrist for Plantar Calluses? (2024)
posted: May 30, 2023.
Do you Need to See a Podiatrist for Plantar Calluses?
Plantar calluses are common and affect both men and women, although more women are affected than men. Plantar calluses are easily treatable, but they can cause concern if they occur alongside another condition such as diabetes.
What are Plantar Calluses?
Plantar calluses are areas or patches of tough, thickened skin that develop on the bottom part of the foot’s surface (the plantar side). Plantar calluses can form on any part of the plantar surface but most commonly affects the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs from the heel to the ball of your foot and toes.
Plantar calluses cause the skin in the affected area to turn yellow or gray and get a hard, rough, flaky, or dry texture. While the skin itself does not feel pain (it is dead skin), applying pressure to the callus can cause pain. Plantar calluses can affect a small, localized area or cover a wide area of the heel.
Plantar calluses may seem like corns and plantar warts, but they are different. Corns typically occur on the toes and between the toes, while warts have a cauliflower-like appearance. The best way to tell whether you have plantar calluses is to look for engraved groves (striations) on the patch of hardened dry skin.
What Causes Plantar Calluses?
Since we use our feet very often, they are prone to develop different types of growths. Plantar calluses form when pressure and friction are applied to the plantar surface with little to no protection. Calluses, therefore, form as a type of protection.
The two biggest culprits when it comes to plantar callus causes are poor footwear and overuse. Wearing shoes that do not adequately support or protect the feet can result in calluses. Similarly, if you spend too much time on your feet (coupled with the wrong footwear), you will likely form plantar calluses.
Can You Treat Plantar Calluses at Home?
Plantar calluses respond well to simple home remedies. The most effective home treatment is soaking your feet in warm water and applying a thick emollient like petroleum jelly after drying your feet. Rubbing with a pumice stone or file after soaking also helps the body shed the dead skin and replace it with the softer skin underneath.
You can also treat plantar calluses at home by changing your footwear. Shoe inserts or padded footwear can reduce the pressure and friction applied to your feet as you walk. If you exercise often, look for athletic shoes that offer additional protection to the feet.
When to See a Podiatrist for Plantar Calluses
Most of the time, home remedies effectively manage plantar calluses.
However, some circ*mstances require a visit to the podiatrist, and include:
If you have heart disease, diabetes, or circulatory and nerve issues, it may lead to infection. If you have these conditions, see a foot specialist immediately you see plantar calluses forming.
The plantar callus has pus or discharge, an indication that the callus is infected or ulcerated.
The plantar calluses keep recurring, which may warrant further investigation.
Painful, red, or warm calluses are another sign of infected calluses.
If you have any of these signs, you should make an appointment with your podiatrist as soon as possible. Some of the treatments they may recommend are surgical removal, applying 40% salicylic acid patches, or orthotic shoe inserts to better support your feet.
Wrapping Up
In summary, you can treat plantar calluses at home with simple home remedies. However, you should see a foot doctor if you have an underlying condition or if they are significantly impacting your daily activities.
If corns or calluses are causing pain and discomfort or inhibiting your daily life in any way, see a podiatrist. Also, people with diabetes, poor circulation, or other serious illnesses should have their feet checked.
Corns & calluses can easily be mistaken for other skin conditions such as plantar warts, ulcers or the presence of a foreign object in your body. That's why it's important to recieve a diagnosis from a podiatrist to ensure you're offered the right treatment.
Soak the area in warm water for about 5–10 minutes or until the skin softens.Dip a pumice stone in warm water, then gently file the callus to remove the dead skin. Circular or sideways motions work best. Be careful to only remove a small amount of skin.
It can be tempting to pick at a callus or try an at-home method of callus removal, but removing a callus is a job for your podiatrist. Your podiatrist is a medical expert and the best-qualified doctor to address any conditions affecting your feet, ankles, or lower legs.
This dry, hard layer protects the area experiencing friction. Calluses guard your feet against sores and blisters on those long runs. Also, if you are suffering from runner's foot problems like calluses, you don't necessarily need to treat them. If the callus isn't painful, then it's best to leave it alone.
Untreated (or unsuccessfully) treated corns and calluses might grow larger until you fix what caused them to develop in the first place. Corns or calluses can cause infections. This can be painful and make walking difficult. You may need antibiotics or even surgical treatment.
In some cases, wearing thick, padded socks may be all you need to do to stop friction from creating painful calluses. Never try to remove calluses on your own. Taking matters into your own hands is dangerous, because you risk removing too much of the callus and causing infection.
Plantar callus can also result in people being unable to walk barefoot as there is no cushioning from footwear. Calluses on the heels that are left untreated can lead to cracking in the heels which then have a chance to become fissures. Fissures of the heel can be very painful and sometimes bleed.
The skin of a plantar callus is gray or yellowish. The skin may also feel hard, rough, dry, and flaky. It may be painful when direct pressure is applied to the area. Plantar calluses can be large, covering a wide span of the heel or the ball of the foot.
Orthopedic surgeons often see themselves as the primary specialists for musculoskeletal issues, including those of the foot and ankle. They may view podiatrists as encroaching on their territory when it comes to performing surgeries or managing complex cases.
An expert podiatrist or chiropodist is able to remove this in very thin slices with a scalpel, ensuring that the callus is completely removed, without damaging the underlying healthy tissue. Although this may sound painful, it is not – provided the healthy tissue is left completely alone.
Once you've softened the affected skin, rub the corn or callus with a pumice stone, nail file, emery board or washcloth. This helps remove a layer of toughened skin. Don't use a sharp object to trim the skin.
Yes, once the callus part of a hard corn is removed, the center needs to be cut out, leaving a dimple or hole in the foot tissue. This is called the "enucleation" of the center.
Do not pick pick or pull at the skin of calluses as this will only make things worse. and often results in the ripping away of too much skin, which leaves cracks that are exposed to the air and open to the risk of infection. Avoid sharp instruments of any kind.
When to see a doctor. If a corn or callus becomes very painful or inflamed, see your health care provider. If you have diabetes or poor blood flow, seek medical care before self-treating a corn or callus. This is important because even a minor injury to your foot can lead to an infected open sore (ulcer).
Once you've softened the affected skin, rub the corn or callus with a pumice stone, nail file, emery board or washcloth. This helps remove a layer of toughened skin. Don't use a sharp object to trim the skin. Don't use a pumice stone if you have diabetes.
For callus, your podiatrist will also be able to remove hard skin, relieve pain and redistribute pressure with soft padding, strapping or corrective appliances that fit easily into your shoes. The skin should then return to its normal state.
Address: Suite 490 606 Hammes Ferry, Carterhaven, IL 62290
Phone: +8557035444877
Job: Forward IT Agent
Hobby: Fishing, Flying, Jewelry making, Digital arts, Sand art, Parkour, tabletop games
Introduction: My name is Otha Schamberger, I am a vast, good, healthy, cheerful, energetic, gorgeous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
