I love shoes, especially high heels. My closet is overloaded with more than 300 pairs of shoes and there are dozens of pointy tight-fitting high heels.
Before casual Friday became casual every day, I worked at a company which required woman employees to wear pantyhose and skirts only.
No pants allowed. And we’d be called into the president’s office if we wore a skort.
The beginnings of my shoe addiction started here, especially since flat shoes do not look professional with a business suit.
But the constant wear and tear of high heels wreaked havoc on my feet. At the end of the day, my feet would be red and the bottom of my feet throbbing.
One of my female colleagues took time off to have work done on her feet. Before Botox and implants, women were having their feet done. This woman, who had about 20 years on me, returned to work about a week later with a cane and a “boot” on her foot.
Prior to a staff meeting, this bunion woman told the staff all about her bunionectomy. Thank goodness it wasn’t a lunch meeting because her details of the bunionectomy were very graphic.
According to the National Library of Medicine, in a bunionectomy a surgeon repairs a bunion which “is when your big toe points toward your second toe, forming a bump.”
As the National Library of Medicine stated, “the surgeon makes a cut to around the toe joint and bones. The surgeon repairs the deformed joint and bones using pins, screws,
plates, or a cast to keep the bones in place.”
In the case of my former office mate, the bone on the side of her big toe was shaved to remove the bump/bunion. She warned all the young women in the office to take care of their feet and to forego fashion versus comfort.
So ladies, especially those who love high heels, if you want to avoid bunions, you need to be nice to your feet. According to the National Library of Medicine, here some things you can do to avoid bunions:
• Try cutting a hole in a pair of old, comfortable shoes to wear
around the house.
• Wear felt or foam pads on your foot to protect the bunion, or
devices called spacers to separate the first and second toes. These
are available at drugstores.
• Wear WIDE toe shoes.
Also, for some relief soak your feet in a peppermint oil bath. You can also try ice and taking an anti-inflammatory like Advil for some additional comfort.
References:
Bunion removal - PubMed Health. National Center for Biotechnology
Information. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003458
Bunions - PubMed Health. National Center for Biotechnology
Information. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002211
Bunions. Mayoclinic.com. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bunions/DS00309
Reviewed November 12, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith