Causes of Corns

Corns have one root cause: repeated pressure and friction on one small spot of skin. Everything else - shoes, foot shape, occupation, age - is just a different road to that same pressure point.

Footwear - the usual suspect

• Tight, narrow shoes: squeeze toes against each other and against the shoe's upper - the little toe and toe joints pay the price
• High heels: shift body weight onto the ball of the foot - corns and calluses follow
• Loose, slipping shoes: the foot slides and rubs with every step - friction corns
• Skipping socks: bare skin against shoe lining multiplies friction
• Hard-soled, thin, worn-out footwear: no cushioning where the foot lands

Foot shape and structure

• Hammer toes and claw toes: bent joints push up against the shoe - the classic corn location
• Bunions: the prominent joint rubs the shoe's side
• Bony prominences and previous foot injuries: any bump becomes a pressure point
• Flat feet or high arches: change how weight distributes across the sole
• Toe deformities from childhood or arthritis

How you use your feet

• Long hours standing or walking: shopkeepers, teachers, nurses, security staff - occupational corns are real
• Walking barefoot on hard floors habitually
• Running with poor-fitting trainers
• Carrying extra body weight: more load per step on the same spots

Age and skin changes

With age the fat pad under the ball and heel thins, skin dries, and bones sit closer to the surface - elderly feet corn more easily. Dry, inelastic skin thickens faster under friction.

The underlying principle

Whatever the specific cause, a corn is the skin's report on one overloaded spot. This is why cutting a corn off without changing the pressure source brings it back within weeks - and why the footwear fix is the real treatment.

One-line summary

Corns come from pressure and friction - usually tight shoes, heels or foot-shape pressure points, multiplied by long standing, age and dry skin; the corn returns until the pressure goes.