Posts for tag: bump on toe
A corn is a development of thickened dead tissue on a toe due to irritation. Corns can quite painful. It is typically due to mechanical irritation of the toe up against the shoe. The reason hammertoes are painful is either due to a corn or bursitis, which is an inflammation of the toe. Swelling sometimes occurs under the toe where the pressure is. It is important to be evaluated if you have a corn because the corn can become quite thick and can also cause an infection or ulceration (breakdown in the skin). Infections and ulcers can be dangerous with risk of bone infection and/or gangrene.
We commonly see this in diabetic patients who do not pay attention to their feet and present to the doctor's office with a swollen toe after weeks of bleeding and swelling. Most importantly we recommend being evaluated for this problem by a podiatrist. Multiple treatment options are available. Simple peeling of the corn can usually provide relief and a shoe gear change. Accommodative shoe gear is one way of conservatively treating the problem with an extra depth shoe or very wide sneaker. Many times the shoe is more the offending factor. If the toe is still swollen and painful after debridement we recommend possible cortisone injection. Lastly if conservative treatment fails we recommend a surgical procedure where we remove a small piece of bone and straighten the toe with very little post-op course.
Many patients come in for painful sore with hard skin on the side of their big toe. If left alone the hard skin becomes tender due to thickness. If left untreated the callous get so thick that the area becomes ulcerated or infected. There are a multitude of reasons for this. Skin irritation from the big toe rubbing against the skin is one problem; trauma caused by an improper fitting shoe may be the cause and lastly you may not be properly walking because of a joint problem in your big toe. A podiatrist will cut down the callous or hard skin with a scalpel blade and make you comfortable. A range of motion exam of the foot and ankle is usually performed. A gait exam is usually performed (watching the way a person walks). Foot doctors typically examine the shoes you wear and can provide a treatment plan for you according to the shoes you wear. Sometimes a simple type of pad can be applied to the foot and the "hard skin" will either go away or not be so painful.