{"id":1494,"date":"2010-06-01T17:00:21","date_gmt":"2010-06-01T21:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/?p=1494"},"modified":"2010-06-01T17:00:21","modified_gmt":"2010-06-01T21:00:21","slug":"no-bones-about-it-women-love-shoes-even-when-they-hurt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2010\/06\/01\/no-bones-about-it-women-love-shoes-even-when-they-hurt\/","title":{"rendered":"No Bones About It: Women Love Shoes, Even When They Hurt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WomanA woman\u2019s quest to find the perfect shoe can last a lifetime. According to Consumer Reports<\/em>, the average American woman owns 19 pairs of shoes, purchases at least four pairs a year and doesn\u2019t have enough room to store them all in one place.<\/p>\n

For many women, it\u2019s all about fashion, not comfort. Sky-high heels, tight pointy toes and other fashion trends send thousands of women to the podiatrist each year. One of the most common and painful foot problems affecting women is bunions. Bunions are most often caused by wearing shoes that are too tight and squeeze the toes. Bunions also can be caused by heredity, chronic inflammation from arthritis, nerve conditions affecting the feet, congenital deformities and injury.<\/p>\n

Bunions form at the base of the big toe when the normal balance of the joints and tendons of the foot become misaligned. The metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint expands and moves out of place. The big toe bends inward, toward the other toes, and the MTP joint extends outward, toward the other foot. Additional bone and a small fluid-filled sac (a bursa) form at the base of the big toe. The joint eventually becomes inflamed, causing swelling, tenderness and pain. When the bursa becomes inflamed as well, bursitis forms and can lead to additional swelling, redness and even more pain.<\/p>\n

In rare cases, a bunion forms at the base of the smallest toe. This \u201cbunionette,\u201d also called a \u201ctailor\u2019s bunion,\u201d can be equally debilitating.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurgery can completely correct a bunion,\u201d says podiatrist Joan Carver, DPM, Attending Surgeon, Cooper University Hospital. \u201cIt restores the foot back to its normal shape and eliminates the source of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Carver recommends surgery when the pain and discomfort have progressed to the point where the patient is in constant pain and the ability to live an active, productive lifestyle is inhibited.<\/p>\n

Bunion Symptoms Include<\/h3>\n