This patient attends the clinic every 4 weeks to have painful calluses reduced from the balls of the feet, the calluses present on the first and fifth metatarsal heads of both feet and are always painful to be reduced due to tiny nerve and blood vessel damage within the skin layers. This patient has limited mobility due to pain in the feet.
Medical history of patient
Lupus : an autoimmune disease that can affect muscles, joints and skin. There is no cure for lupus, although the symptoms can be controlled with medications. Lupus is known to flare up and calm down, the exact cause is unknown. This patient has a very small, thin foot type with very little fatty padding, the feet are always well padded with good quality insoles and appropriate footwear, despite every effort the calluses develop at the pressure points.
Podiatry objective
To help soften the skin prior to treatment, to ease the discomfort associated with callus reduction.
Plan of action
The patient consented to applying our foot balm 2-3 times daily to the affected calluses.
Appointment 1.
The patient reported that the feet had felt slightly more comfortable in the run up to the scheduled appointment, the skin was more comfortable to be removed during the treatment.
Appointment
The patient reports no pain between appointments and has increased activities such as walking the dog. The skin was removed very easily during treatment with no reports of discomfort.
Appointment
The calluses have significantly reduced in thickness and size, and there is a marked reduction in tiny blood vessel damage. The patient reports they have resumed line dancing and no longer have to worry about feeling pain in their feet.
Conclusion
This has been a heartwarming case study. The initial intention was to assist a more comfortable treatment process by softening the skin prior to treatment. What was actually achieved has made such a positive impact to this patient’s life between appointments. We look forward to following up on the success of this patient and carrying out more clinical trials.