The duration of an operation to remove corns and / or re-align toes will vary according to the complexity of the surgery and the number of toes which require correction. Toe surgery to remove corns and correct position rarely takes more than one hour. Recovery time does depend on exactly what has been done but activity levels are generally confined to toilet duties for the first week i.e. no walking except when essential. After one week activity levels can increase and one can return to normal wide footwear such as trainers or 'UGG' type boots after 2 weeks. Occasionally, small wires are placed in the toes to hold position for a few weeks and in this case recovery might be longer i.e. 4-6 weeks.
The cost of corn removal / toe surgery varies according to the complexity of the operation. On average corn and toe surgery costs between £500 and £4000. Most insurance companies cover corn and toe surgery and the Centre can provide further advice on this. Please note that the Centre is recognised by virtually all national and many international private medical insurance companies.
Ron McCulloch is the principal Podiatric Surgeon and Director of the London Podiatry Centre. During his many years as a specialist Podiatric Surgeon, he has performed thousands of successful foot operations. Mr McCulloch has trained some of the most successful podiatric surgeons in the UK. Mr McCulloch has operated on painful corns for over 25 years and is considered an authority on the subject having pioneered a number of specialised surgical techniques within the UK. Mr McCulloch has a special interest in managing patients with reactive and sensitive skin types.
Ron McCulloch is Consultant Podiatric Surgeon at London's Homerton University Hospital, the official hospital of the 2012 London Olympics. He worked as a Consultant Podiatrist at the Olympic village during the 2012 Olympics and has extensive experience in sports medicine. He continues to provide podiatric care for several premiership football teams and has consulted for Nike, at their headquarters in Oregon.
He continues to lecture extensively both on the national and international circuit and helped to develop podiatry in the Middle East, particularly in relation to the surgical management of the diabetic foot. He is a senior lecturer in ultrasound studies at Bournemouth University Centre for ultrasound studies.
Ron McCulloch is a published author on surgical techniques and is one of only two practitioners in Great Britain to offer invasive cryosurgery of the foot a procedure used to treat certain types of painful corn.
Please contact our Centre of the latest information on pricing.
Toe and corn removal surgery is relatively safe and the Centre's patients rarely experience complications. However, no surgical procedure is risk free from complications such as infection and thrombosis and all patients are carefully councilled on the implications and possible complications of surgery. Infections rarely occur at the Centre and the vast majoriy of patients are delighted with the outcome of their operations
A patient can usually return to normal footwear after toe and corn surgery, once the stitches have been removed, at 2 weeks. In more complex cases, where wires may have been used this period can extent to up to 6 weeks.
The Centre is located in a multi-cultural area and sees many Afro-Caribbean and Asian patients whose skin type can be particularly affected by corns and who are prone to skin discolouration. We use special plastic surgery techniques to avoid complications such as abnormal scarring which is more common in dark skin types. Skin lesions such as corns and bursa (a deeper fluid filled sac under the skin) often take on a light appearance which makes them particular obvious. The centre routinely removes these lesions with typically excellent results.
In many instances corns, callous and bursa form because toes press on shoes. In order to achieve removal it is often desirable to slightly shorten the toes so that they do not press on shoes after the operation. Some patients are born with toes of an abnormal length and this invariably causes excessive shoes pressure. By undertaking some shortening during the procedure, the operation is more likely to achieve an optimal outcome.
Most toe and corn operations are undertaken under local anaesthetic. The injections are similar to those you would have at the dentist. There is generally no pain during the operation and most patients volunteer only mild discomfort when their anaesthetic wears off, by which time they would be taken the pain killers provided by the Centre.
Driving should not occur until stitches have been removed at 2 -3 weeks. Return to work would depend on the nature of the work and means of transport. For patients who generally sit at work for most of the day and who can get a taxi/lift to and from work, it is possible to return after one week. If not, then 2 weeks is recommended
The nature of toe surgery and corn removal depends on the severity of the problem and the degree of misalignment. Many types of operation are undertaken at our centre and the following examples are given in order of complexity.
i. Simple removal of corn or bursa (a small fluid filled sac often mistaken for a corn by patients). No bone work or re-alignment surgery is required and healing occurs in 10-14 days.
ii. Removal of corn or bursa with tendon lengthening: In this instance the operation is the same as previous but with the addition of a small procedure to stretch the tendon so that the toe 'sits down' if it is abnormally elevated.
iii. Removal of corn and bursa +/- tendon work and arthroplasty: In this instance a small amount of bone is removed from the toe. This is necessary when there is deformity of the bone itself. The operation allows the toe to return to a straight position.
iv. Aforementioned with Toe shortening: By removing slightly more bone during the arthroplasty the toe can be shortened to its desirable length.
v. Previous procedures in combination with percutaneous K wire: In this case a wire is placed through the toe to keep it in position whilst it is healing. The wire is typically removed after 2 to 6 weeks.
vi. Forefoot reconstruction: In this instance complex surgery is undertaken to rebuild severe deformity (see link). The surgery generally involves cutting bones which are then repositioned and kept in place by means of screws and wires. Complex rebalancing of tendons and soft tissues are also required.