Are Calluses Protecting You When You Run?

My wife is an avid runner. 5K, 10k, half-marathons, marathons, and triathlons. We are on our way back home to Houston from Scottsdale, AZ where I was attending and speaking at a podiatry conference and she took the opportunity to go for some runs without the humidity of home. She also hit the spa for some pampering...a massage and pedicure.

She is not one to typically get a pedicure and allowed the technician to remove her running calluses with a callus file. While she liked her feet without the calluses, she had some trouble the next day when she went for her run. She found that the areas at her feet that had the calluses were now blistered. What's the answer? Never get a pedicure again?

Calluses are an area of thickened skin in response to increased pressure. The callus forms to protect the skin and ensure it is not damaged by the pressure. The thickening of the skin, however, can increase the pressure and cause the calluses to become painful. In these cases, seeing a foot doctor in Houston can allow your podiatrist to pare the hard skin and relieve the pressure. You can also thin a callus by using a pumice stone or pumi-bar. Stay away from more abrasive files, such as the Ped-Egg.

If a callus is mild, and does not cause any pain, don't worry about removing them. They are simply doing their job in protecting your foot from extra pressure. Do keep them controlled by applying foot cream to them. This will prevent them from overgrowing, drying, and cracking.

There's no reason to not get a pedicure. Just be sure to communicate with the technician exactly what you do or do not want done. This way you won't have any surprises on your next run.