Interdigital Corns

03/06/2012

One of the most frequent complaints presented to the Podiatrist is that of the interdigital corn, more commonly known as the so-called "soft corn". When they are located towards the tips of adjacent toes, they are more likely to be rather dry and hard and can be significantly painful. These types of corns often have a glass-like appearance and directly in the center of each, one can feel the small yet very hard sharp bony prominence directly beneath. One can also often see a rather dark brown to a brownish yellow discoloration that is usually evidence that the pressure between the two toes has actually caused some bleeding within the deeper skin layer. There is very little fat pad to cushion the tissues between the toes, so when left untreated, this type of corn can easily become ulcerated or lead to an underlying abscess or serious type of foot infection.

 The so-called "soft corn" that lies closer to the web space near the bases of the toes can often be misdiagnosed as a fungal infection (or Athlete's Foot infection) due to the macerated spongy and often white to grayish discoloration of the overlying skin. These types of corns are often mistakenly treated with a topical anti-fungal medication for long periods of time, without any improvement.

The Podiatry Center can help treat and most-often eliminate these painful corns between the toes.

Editor’s Note: Submitted by Dr. Howard Imanuel The Podiatry Center.