Calluses

The human body is wonderfully adaptive, particularly in the ways it seeks to protect itself. Calluses are one such protective mechanism.

Calluses are areas of skin that grow thick in response to repeated pressure and friction. They are the body's way of protecting its skin, or the structures beneath it, from injury. Calluses will form on the skin of any part of the body that is exposed to excessive pressure or friction. Sometimes calluses are useful.
Labourers and people who work hard with their hands typically develop thick calluses that protect their fingers and palms from nicks, scratches and cuts, and anyone who has ever tried to play a stringed musical instrument will tell you it's a painful process until you develop strong calluses on your fingertips.
 

Problem Calluses

Having Calluses elsewhere on the body can be a mixed blessing, however. The feet are one such area. In parts of the world where people commonly go barefoot for much of the year, for example, a hefty layer of callus along the plantar or, “bottom”, surface provides a minimally acceptable degree of protection. But in other areas where the wearing of shoes predominates, calluses can become a problem.

Calluses typically occur on the sole of the foot, either on the heel or under the five metatarsal heads, the area where the long inner bones of the toes extend into the foot. These two areas typically bear most of the pressure and friction from standing and walking, and respond by growing calluses to protect the skin there. Unfortunately, there is only so much room inside a shoe, and as these calluses grow thicker, they cause more pressure against the skin. This makes the callus grow ever thicker and, ultimately, they can become painful.

Causes

Unlike the hand, where calluses reflect normal wear and tear, calluses of the feet normally indicate something is biomechanically wrong in the foot, resulting in excessive pressure between the skin and the underlying bone.

Typically, calluses develop under the metatarsal heads for two reasons. In many cases, one or more of the metatarsal heads, usually the first or fifth, is too low, causing it to bear more pressure than the others. In other cases these calluses indicate one of the metatarsals is unstable and shifts weight to those adjacent to it. This is commonly seen in people with flat feet (pes planus). Because the plantar arch is too low, the foot is not as stable as it should be. This makes the first metatarsal, the one connected to the big toe, unstable also. When weight is applied to this area, the first metatarsal drifts upward, causing the second metatarsal to accept the extra weight. The second metatarsal isn't capable of supporting this extra force, and a callus forms where the skin tries to protect the bone.

This process can also happen with the other metatarsals, and often more than one callus will form on the foot at the same time. In many cases, a single large callus will develop across the entire metatarsal pad, often on both feet. If your foot’s calluses cause you pain even when you where proper, “human foot shaped”, or shoes that are shaped to fit your feet, the use of a simple orthotic within your foot wear may be enough to maintain good arch and foot alignment. The regular use of orthotics can eliminate or reduce the abnormal force or load that cause the formation of the callus and therefore eliminate or reduce the pain that can be directly associated with this abnormal skin build up. If you have painful calluses and you wear functional, well fitting footwear you may like to try one of our orthotic products.

For further advise please contact one of our professional team here  or give us a call, our number is listed on the Contact page.