What is a soft corn?

What is an interdigital corn?

What is that painful white sore between my little toes?

If you look at the opposite picture showing the bones of the lesser toes, you will see that they are quite knobbly little things.  There is quite a prominent flare out of the base of each of the bones. If you have the misfortune to have two of these knobbly parts adjacent to each other, the small piece of skin between them can be squeezed very hard – particularly if shoes are not roomy enough or the wrong shape for your feet.  The pressure that this creates is responsible for the corn formation.

As to why these are called ‘soft corns’, it is simply that the area between toe toes is difficult to keep dry from both showering and the production of sweat.  Just the same way that your thumbs will go white and wrinkly when you are in the bath too long, so will the corn.  It will often appear to be a very white lump in the interdigital space or may break down from too much pressure to then form an ulcer.  This may weep clear fluid, blood or pus.

Go to the next FAQ to read How do I treat my Soft corn? Alternatively, use this link to return to the Podiatry FAQ list.