Calluses
Calluses are thickened areas of the skin formed by friction or rubbing and pressure. Things that often put pressure on the feet to form calluses are shoes or socks, but also activities such as prolonged walking or running. Calluses vary in shape and size and can oftentimes become very painful.
I personally tell patients to avoid cutting or trimming the calluses themselves. Patients should avoid using razor blades, scissors, or knifes to cut calluses. If the foot gets cut, infection can enter the foot and cause more problems than intended.
Usually there is a reason why people get calluses. It may be from an ill-fitting pair of shoes, a bony prominence, or some other condition. Please allow Dr. Kory Williams and Dr. Eric Silvers at Advanced Foot and Ankle Center evaluate your feet, determine the underlying cause and trim your callus or calluses safely.
Please call 972-542-2155 to make an appointment now!
~Dr. Williams
Brachymetatarsia
Brachymetatarsia is characterized by an abnormally short metatarsal bone. 
The condition usually runs in certain families. This condition usually affect the 4th metatarsal, but may affect multiple metatarsal bones.
The shortening of the bone is caused by the growth plate pre-maturely closing before growing out to full length. The cause why this happens is still mostly unknown.
Brachymetatarsia is related to following disorders and syndromes:
- Down’s Syndrome
- Turner’s syndrome
- Pseudohypoparathyroidism
- Psuedo-pseudohypoparathyroidism
- Albright’s syndrome
- Diastrophic dwarfism
Bracymetatarsia usually occurs in females and usually occurs in both feet. X-rays usually confirm the shortening of the metatarsal.
As a child, the deformity is usually asymptomatic. The primary complaint in the younger patient is often cosmetic, and many times these patients are self-conscious about their appearance. Older patients may experience symptoms of pain due to excessive pressure under adjacent metatarsal heads. Increased callus formation in the ball of the foot may be present. Skin, soft tissue, and tendon contractions lead to additional discomfort with the use of shoes.
Treatment of brachymetatarsia may include conservative care, such as an orthotic device to take pressure off the adjacent metatarsal heads. Shoe gear may be modified a possible hammertoe deformity or contracture of a toe.
Definitive treatment requires surgical correction to address the soft tissue contractions as well as the shortened metatarsal. Numerous surgical procedures exist to correct brachymetatarsia such as the following:
- Bone Grafts
- Metatarsal osteotomies
- Distraction of the metatarsal with an external fixator
- Tendon lengthening
- Skin modifications
At Advanced Foot & Ankle, Dr. Williams prefers the procedure in which lengthening of the metatarsal is performed with an external fixator. Below is a picture showing the external fixator on the 4th metatarsal bone allowing distraction of the bone.
Please come see Dr. Williams or Dr. Silvers if you have brachymetatarsia and we can discuss your treatment options.
The address to our facility is as follows:
McKinney Office Location
4501 Medical Center Drive: Suite 300
McKinney, TX 75069
To schedule an apppointment, please call : 972-542-2155
Prosper Office Location
140 N. Preston Road: Suite 30
Prosper, TX 75078
To schedule an appointment, please call: 972-542-2155
