You have tried every remedy to remove a painful corn on your foot.
You have applied powder to stop the sweating between your toes.
You have used a pumice stone in an attempt to remove the thick skin.
You have even purchased wider shoes to stop the corn from rubbing against anything.
But the corn still hurts enough to stop you from walking properly. Now you are wondering about corn removal surgery.
Let’s take a look at what this procedure entails and the recovery time associated with it.
First of all, what exactly is a corn? Corns occur when the skin on top of a prominent bone rubs against either poor fitting shoes or another bone. As a result, hard skin builds up and the pressure against this thickened skin leads to pain.
The most common type of corn, known as a hard corn, is found on the top of the toes, while soft corns are found between the toes.
There are many corn removal treatments you can try at home or with the help of your podiatrist before resorting to surgery. These include wearing properly fitting shoes, using silicone toe sleeves over the prominent toe bone to stop friction from occurring, and wearing orthotics to help correct any abnormal foot structures.
However, if these treatments don’t work, corns can become too painful to deal with. They can even become serious for some people. For example, a diabetic who develops are corn can develop a wound known as an ulcer and this can lead to very serious complications.
Corn removal surgery
Once you are anesthetized (either by either IV sedation or local anesthesia), the surgeon will completely remove the corn and the underlying boney prominence. In some cases an inflamed sac of soft tissue known as a bursa is encountered and is excised at the same time.
Recovery time
After your corn removal surgery, you may feel throbbing, aching, burning, or even numbness in your foot. Your surgeon may recommend that you elevate your foot above the level of your heart for at least 48 hours after your surgery.
This will aid with pain relief and minimize the swelling after surgery. You will also be prescribed pain medication.
Your surgeon will probably advise you to modify placing any weight on the foot that was operated on. You will be placed in either a surgical shoe or boot and your surgical dressing cannot get wet.
Your surgeon will most likely recommend that you keep your foot dry with a shower bag until your incision(s) heal. Typically it takes 6 weeks to 3 months to fully recover from corn removal surgery. The recovery time truly depends upon the extent of the surgery and any complications that may arise from it.
After corn removal surgery, it is important to take steps to prevent corns from forming again. Taking care of your feet by wearing good shoes is key. With a little care and good advice from your podiatrist, corns can be a thing of the past!
Do you need painful corn(s) removed?
Dr. Jordan Stewart of the Timonium Foot and Ankle Center has extensive experience diagnosing and treating all types of corns.
He always recommends the least invasive treatment options first, and only resorts to surgery as a last resort.
If you would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Stewart, give his office a call at 410-560-2777 or fill out the short form on the top right of this page.