Biomechanics and pronation

[teigyr]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a whip callous?

Thanks!
Emily

A whip callous (at least what I think it is) is a callous in the center forefoot. When I walk, especially barefoot or in sandals, my foot turns at that point. If I'm wearing sandals and do a lot of walking, that spot can be so painful that it hurts to walk the next day. It's a circular kind of callous and is very deep.

The things you know

[KnottedYet]

The whip callousses I look for are at the margin of the big toe and margin of the ball of the foot. Looooooove finding those critters, cuz they tell me a LOT about how someone moves.

If I see a callous under the 2nd or 3rd toe (in the ball of the foot) my first thought is "dropped met head." Loooooove finding those, too.

What I don't like is chickies who get regular pedicures, cuz they get the callousses buzzed off and so I have NO CLUE what's happening long term when they walk.

And Tricky - I've been sending patients to you by name at your place of employment, telling them to get Superfeet or shoes. Have you noticed any upswing in requests for your expertise?

[teigyr]

Um some of us get them shaved off because they're ugly. No worries, they come back. And to be honest after they are gone, our feet hurt worse because there's no protective barrier. I don't think my PT looked at it one way or the other but she seems savvy so maybe she did.

[KnottedYet]

I would bet she did. Ask her what she thinks!

<I wasn't criticizing pedicures, really. I like them myself. But they do destroy important evidence.>

[OakLeaf]

Looooooove finding those critters, cuz they tell me a LOT about how someone moves.

Knotted, give! I have a big callus on what I guess you'd call the lateral margin of the ball of my foot, on the left side only. (I would have characterized it as the lateral aspect of the MTP joint, but I don't really know.) I have to keep it shaved otherwise it grows very large and painful.

I know I have lots of issues with my body mechanics, and I'm working on it with Pilates and Chi Running (yes, custom orthotics in the interim, although honestly I think they're aggravating that callus and my bilateral achilles tendinitis) - but what does this callus suggest to you? THANKS!!!!

[KnottedYet]

a callous on the pinkytoe side of things suggests to me that your orthotics are making you over supinate, unless you've always been an oversupinator. Or that you are wearing curved-last shoes when you should be wearing straight-last shoes (which is more likely).

But I'd really need to see you walk and look at your whole foot/ankle/leg to know what is going on.

There's a really cool series of pictures used by Gary Gray PT, that show callousses and what they indicate. Cool stuff. It's gotta be on the internet somewhere!

Have you asked your orthotist why you are getting callousses? Did the orthotist get to look at your shoes as well?