Corns and calluses are common problems for truck drivers in Canada

Truck drivers may love their work seated behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler, but corns and calluses on their feet can make life on the road pretty rough. Although they are not a serious medical condition, according to an article on trucknews.com, “They can become very irritating and painful.” The most common reason truck drivers suffer corns and calluses is likely to be repeated pressure from pedals over the same areas of the feet; ill-fitting shoes or boots can cause these lesions.

You may be wondering what this has to do with you. Statistics presented by Right Diagnosis from Health Grades show 1 in 40, or 2.5 per cent, of Americans have trouble with corns and calluses, so if a similar proportion of people in Canada suffer from corns and calluses, there is quite a high chance that you too may find you have this problem.

Hard corns, which are lumps of hard skin with a central point, form on bony prominences, like the tops of your toes, but they can also present on the ball of your foot and sometimes on your heel. Soft corns are often rubbery to the touch and the skin may be white and soggy; they are commonly found between the toes. Calluses appear as larger, tougher patches of skin mostly found on the soles of your feet or heels.

If you are partial to tottering around in your designer Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik shoes, you may be quite familiar with the above descriptions. But even seemingly “sensible” shoes can be a problem if they are too tight or so loose they can slip on and off. Basically, depending on the structure of your feet, repeated, intermittent or constant pressure from ill-fitting shoes will probably result in corns or calluses which can become very painful and can sometimes get infected.

You should contact your podiatrist as soon as you suspect you have a corn or callus because early diagnosis and treatment will produce the best results.