Corns are a frequent disorder affecting the foot. Corns are a natural reaction to pressure as the skin thickens up to protect itself from that pressure. At some stage the process goes wrong and becomes so thick that it's painful. You will find a unrelenting myth that corns have roots which they carry on growing back from when you try to take them off. This is like the analogy of plants which re-grow from their roots if you cut the top of the plants off. That analogy has been given to corns since they keep growing back again, however they do not have roots to grow back from.

Corns are caused by pressure and a proficient podiatric doctor could easily get rid of a corn. The problem is that after the corn is removed if the pressure which caused it is still there then, obviously, it is going to re-grow. It develops back because the cause continues and not because the podiatrist left a root there for it to grow back from. That pressure may be from a poor fitting shoe or from something like a hammer toe or hallux valgus leading to increased pressure on an area. If the corn is underneath the foot, then the cause is elevated pressure on the location where the corn is, most likely due to the way you walk.

The misconception persists simply because they do come back, so its crucial that you take away the cause at the same time the corn is removed. There isn't any root to be removed. This means that the pressure on the foot the location where the corn has been should be reduced or removed. This may involve issues like using better fitting shoes or the use of padding to get pressure off the location where the corn is. Occasionally surgery will be necessary to the bone underneath the corn to eliminate the pressure. If that cause is not taken away or decreased then the corn will come back, therefore it is clear to understand where the myth about corn roots originates from.