How to Surgically Remove Foot Corns

You run, hop and dance every day, and suddenly you start to feel a pain in your foot even when you walk. Corns are the most common example of foot pain. There are a lot of creams, pads and home remedies that claim to remove the corns but with not much success. Removing a corn surgically is the only option if the pain is unbearable and you just want to get rid of it. The surgery is simple and has a high success rate so long as you follow the postsurgery care.

Things You'll Need

• Ice pack
• Foot wrap

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Instructions

• 1

  Talk to a podiatrist about your condition. Not all corn removal requires surgery. The surgery is called a hammertoe procedure. If you have more than one corn to be removed on multiple toes, you would have multiple hammertoe procedures. They are usually done all at once on the same day.

• 2

  Be prepared for a simple outpatient surgery. You will be given local anesthesia. A general anesthesia may be given depending on the patient's condition.

• 3

  Expect a small incision in the top of the toe with the corn over the DIP joint. The toe bones connect and form a toe joint called the DIP joint.

• 4

  Do not panic if one side of the joint is removed. It is done to release the tension on the ligaments and the tendons around the joint and allows the toes to be realigned in the proper position. The tendons are the tissues that connect the muscle to the bone and are capable of withstanding tension. The ligaments are the tissues that connect the bones to the other bones.

• 5

  Relax and be glad when you see your doctor closing the incision with sutures. This is the last step in the surgery. Sometimes the doctor puts metal pins, instead of sutures, to close the incision until the toe heals; then the toe is wrapped with bandages. The entire surgery takes about 30 minutes.

• 6

  Take the painkillers prescribed by the doctor to alleviate the pain after the anesthesia wears off. Keep your foot
  elevated for the first three days, and put some ice on it to soothe any bruises from the sutures.

• 7

  The doctor will give you foot wraps to use after a few days of the surgery. This helps you to walk. Take a rest if you feel any pain in your foot as you walk. You should be able to walk without the foot wrap in three-to-four weeks.