I watched the Oscars and the annual fashion show on the red carpet.  While all the women were glamorous from head to toe, by the end of the night most of them were either barefoot or carrying their shoes looking for a place to sit.

Although high heels and stilettos may make women’s legs more shapely and elegant, they are not an everyday shoe.  Most of these shoes offer little to no support for your feet and can cause pain because all your weight is forced to the balls of your feet, pinching the toes together. In some cases, the imbalance can lead to sprained ankles or even worse - ankle fractures from falling.

A lot of these shoes may make foot problems worse and speed up the formation of such problems as bunion’s, hammertoes, corns, callous, pinched nerves, and many more deformities.

So, the question I get is, “How can I wear heels and be comfortable?”  First thing is find out what is causing the discomfort.  If all the weight of your body is forced onto your forefeet, you need to wear a lower heeled shoe of about 1 ½ inches in height.  A completely closed-in shoe will give more support than a sling back, peep-toe shoe, or sandal.  Padding and wider shoes will often help, but wider shoes may slip off the back of your heels.  A custom device called an Orthotic can be made to fit into heels that will keep the muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones in a proper position and prevent the imbalance and discomfort.

Stretching your toes both toward the leg and down helps to strengthen your feet. Stretching the calves and the arch will also help.  Your Podiatrist can show you Exercises specific for you to ensure correct form and position.  Your foot doctor will go over the pros and cons of different styles of shoes to determine what is best for you.  Be sure to bring a pair of high heeled shoes that you frequently wear to your appointment to be evaluated for wear patterns and unequal weight distribution.

I will not tell you to give up high heels.  I will simply help you achieve the comfort you desire so you may wear high heels on occasion.

For more information on high heels and your feet, feel free to contact Dr. Bowman at Houston Foot Specialists by either calling 713-467-8886 or at our website www.houstonfootspecialists.com

You may have recently seen television ads regarding “Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery” or “Mini Bunionectomy.”  This is a procedure available at Houston Foot Specialists performed by Dr. Jeffrey Bowman.

The first step in evaluating whether the Mini Bunionectomy is right for you is to understand what causes the bunion or “Hallux Abducto Valgus” deformity. The space between the first and second metatarsal bones (the long bones in your foot) is called the Inter-metatarsal angle or “IM angle”.  As the angle increases, so does the growth at the base of the big toe (Hallux) from shoe pressure.  The big toe usually drifts toward the second toe, sometimes overlapping or underlapping the second toe.  Some of the factors causing this include weak ligaments, trauma, improper fitting shoes, tight high heels, flat feet, and hereditary factors.  When bunion pain first starts, it should be treated conservatively.  If this fails, then surgery is usually indicated.

There are numerous bunion procedures, and your podiatrist will take X-rays and perform a biomechanical exam to determine which procedure is the one that is correct for you.  The bone enlargement is removed in all procedures and the big toe is placed in a straighter position.  

Most bunion procedures are named after the surgeon who developed them.  One procedure that isn’t named after a doctor is the minimally invasive procedure called the “Mini-Tight Rope” procedure.  It is extremely important that a patient realize this procedure is not meant for everyone.  As with any surgical procedure, complications could develop.  Your podiatrist will determine whether you are a candidate for surgery and whether the “Mini-Tight Rope” procedure is right for you.  What does the “Mini-Tight Rope” procedure involve?  Two small incisions are made: one to remove the enlarged bone at the base of the big toe, and the second incision is placed over the second metatarsal.  Next, a very strong type of suture is placed into the first metatarsal then passed through the second metatarsal to pull the first metatarsal over toward the second, in essence narrowing the foot.  This is secured in place by two small “buttons” on either side of both bones.  A shift is needed in all procedures to help minimize any return of the foot deformity and again, your podiatrist will determine if this procedure or another is better to correct your bunion.

If you suffer from pain at the base of the big toe or Bunion Deformity, please see your podiatrist.  At Houston Foot Specialists, we perform and are experienced in all types of bunion procedures.  Contact us at www.houstonfootspecialists.com for details and ask a question on our “Contact Us” page.  Or, you may call Dr. Bowman at 713-467-8886, and one of our caring and friendly staff members will be glad to help.  Our goal is to stop your foot pain and get you back into all the shoes you want to wear with comfort!