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FEET CARE: BLISTERS, CORNS, AND CALLUSES

Blisters, corns, and calluses on the feet come to remind us that perhaps the shoes do not fit, the stockings wrinkle, or we walk in such a manner as to put most of the burden of the weight of the body on some single spot on the foot. A burning pain on the inner side of the ball of the foot, itching between the toes, or pain anywhere in the feet may indicate that something is wrong. The feet become hardened to work by more use, but hastening of the hardening can be helped by alcohol rubs. Massaging the feet at night is conducive to restful sleep. The foot powders are helpful because they help to reduce the friction between the feet and the stockings and shoes. Most foot powders are chiefly boric acid and talcum. A little salicylic acid or menthol may be added to relieve itching. Physical therapists have found that alternate bathing of the feet in hot and cold water, about two to five minutes in each kind, is helpful to the circulation of blood in the feet.
Blisters are painful. The pain comes from pressure. If a blister is punctured with a germfree needle, one that has been passed through a flame, the fluid will be released and the pain will stop. Preferably, the area where the blister is to be punctured should be wiped with alcohol before the puncture is made.
A corn is an inflammatory response to irritation. A callus is a similar hardening of the tissue, usually occurring on the sole of the foot, wherever the bones press particularly against the shoe. A corn or a callus may be a symptom of some underlying difficulty with the mechanics of the foot, which may be due either to the shoe or stocking, to some anatomical difficulty, or to a wrong way of walking.
Few people have both feet of the same size, yet shoes are usually made with the right and left shoe similar except for the curve. People with great differences between the feet need to have their shoes made especially for them.
Recently, attempts have been made to fit shoes more accurately by X-raying the feet in the shoe store. Actually this is a technic which is not of much benefit to the people who buy the shoes. Probably you can tell better by the way a shoe feels whether or not it fits you right than an untrained clerk can tell from looking at a poor X-ray.
A "soft corn" is an area between the toes which has become rubbed and, usually, secondarily infected with ringworm. If the area around a corn becomes infected the tissues become red, swollen, and painful. Under such circumstances the foot may be kept elevated and treatment applied, such as wet packs soaked with boric acid or some similar mild antiseptic, until the condition improves.
Most so-called corn cures contain salicylic acid, which softens the hardened material so that it can be scraped away. Corns can also be removed by use of the X-ray or radium, but such treatments are safe only when applied by experienced specialists.
Soft corns will not disappear unless the area is carefully and thoroughly cleaned. The ringworm must be eliminated by suitable treatment. Pads are worn between the toes to get rid of the pressure and the rubbing. If there is a projection from the bone inside the toe the rubbing may be most difficult to prevent. Such deformities may be removed by the orthopedic surgeon.
A hard corn can be removed by cutting it away, but such surgery is not for amateurs. People have died from secondary infections resulting from careless and even unsanitary cutting of corns. Unless the persistent pressure and rubbing on the foot are controlled, the corn will return promptly after treatment. The pressure can be modified by wearing suitably-prepared pads in the shoes, and otherwise protecting the area.
Calluses on the bottom of the feet are seen often on golf players who pivot on the sole of the foot and on women who wear shoes that are high-heeled and too short. The calluses get thick and hard and are therefore painful. They may be pared away with a sharp knife or razor blade, but they return unless the conditions that produced them are controlled.
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