High Heels Equals Painful Feet

If you wear high heels, you know they are uncomfortable.  If you wear them continuously, you could very well be pushing your feet to injury in the future.  If you ask most women about high heels, their tell you that they were developed by a man, because they are not comfortable, but they are fashionable.  So the question arises, is being fashionable worth being in pain?

The answer is obvious, NO!  The pain is not worth being in fashion.  But think about it, high heels are not all that is fashionable.  There are many women’s shoes out there that are both functional and fashionable.  If you like heels, try to get shoes that only have at most a one to one and a half inch heel.

If you must wear your high heels, there are some things you can do to limit your foot pain.  First of all, the less you wear them the better.  You can maybe have a pair of comfortable and supportive tennis shoes in your desk or office at work to wear while you sit at your desk and walk around in your office.  Or you can just slip them off and be barefoot while you sit at your desk.  This will relieve the pressure off your toes.  Also make sure that you buy the right size of shoes for your feet.  Most women (9 out of 10) have shoes that are too small for them.  Again, being so called “fashionable” is not worth the pain and damage done to your feet.  If you have flat feet,  your high heel shoes will do tremendously more damage to your feet then someone who doesn’t have flat feet.  This is because the arches of you feet don’t have the strength to hold your feet up on their toes.

You have to ultimately decide what you wear, but don’t think that you have to wear high heels.  If you have any questions on how high heels effects you feet, contact Dr. Bowman at Houston Foot Specialists.

Related articles

• The Mystique and History of the High Heel (mycoignofvantage.wordpress.com)
• High heels 'are to blame for flat feet'... but a cure may be around the corner (dailymail.co.uk)
• Can wearing high heels result in hip problems? (zocdoc.com)

Arthritis - The Joint Killer

If you are experiencing pain in your joints, you might have a disease called arthritis.  Arthritis effects your joints by swelling the cartilage lining the joints.  It effects many people today, and while in some cases it is hereditary, everyone can get this painful disease.  People that are at or over fifty years old are susceptible to getting arthritis. 

Treating arthritis has come a long way these days, but there still is no way to completely get rid of arthritis.  Right now, all doctors can do is slow it down.  Surgery will help it slow down and then medication will continue to keep the arthritis in its slowed down pace.  Hopefully soon, breakthroughs will be made to find a cure to completely rid a body of the damaging effects of arthritis.

If you have arthritis, you might be experience stiffness when you wake up in the joints affected.  You could have limited movement in that joint, and/or pain in the joint.  It might even be hot to the touch, and swollen.  If you have not, you should have a doctor check out the joints that are bothering you.  If your doctor finds the arthritis before it gets to be too much, they can help you decide how to attack this disease.  The earlier you find the arthritis, the better.  If your feet are bothering you, schedule an appointment with you podiatrist, especially if it is the joints in your feet. 

Dr. Bowman would love to help you out and talk to you about the short-term and long-term effects of arthritis in your feet.  He can take you through the treatment of arthritis and even preform the surgery if you need it.  Contact Houston Foot Specialists to schedule an appointment now and be on your way to enjoying life again by not having to live with the pain in your feet.

Related articles

• Coping With Psoriatic Arthritis (arthritis.webmd.com)
• How to Reduce Pain and Better Your Sleep with Arthritis (sleepoptionsmattress.wordpress.com)
• New blood test diagnoses rheumatoid arthritis (abclocal.go.com)

Orthotics

Many of you are familiar with orthotics.  You can find them at the store in the pharmacy department, at least ones that are over-the-counter.  What you might not know is orthotics have a wide range of sizes and shapes.  The over-the-counter ones you can buy at the store are ones that might help you if you have mild foot problems but they can’t help with chronic pain.  The ones you don’t see at your local Walmart are ones that can correct more severe foot issues.  For severe or chronic pain - you will find orthotics in doctors’ offices and specialty shoe stores.

The main purpose of orthotics is to correct and stabilize a person’s gait when walking or standing. Orthotics also provide cushion to comfort your feet if you are walking or standing a lot by absorbing the shock and pressure on your feet.  The type of orthotic you would need depends on what type of foot issue you might be dealing with.  Rigid orthotics are meant more to control the position of the foot, aligning it with the rest of the body so there is less strain on the body while walking or for being in dress shoes.  Semi-rigid orthotics are made for balance when walking and playing sports.  The combination of the soft and rigid layers provides the right amount of support and cushion so that the foot is protected from the shock it’ll take, and the foot stays in the right position to take pressure off the rest of the body.  Soft orthotics are for absorbing shock and taking pressure off of sore spots on the feet.  They work well for people with foot deformities, diabetes or arthritic feet because they form to their feet.  Soft and rigid orthotics are customized by a doctor or specialist to mold to the person’s foot shape to provide the most comfort and support.

If you are in need of orthotics, contact us at Houston Foot Specialists.  Dr. Bowman would love to help you get the right orthotic to help you get rid of the foot pain.

Related articles

• Off-the-shelf orthotics offer relief of running injuries (theglobeandmail.com)
• Feet types and how to choose running shoes (christostriathlon1.wordpress.com)
• Arches and Aches (yourfeet.co.nz)