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As a woman you have a very busy life. You work full time, try your best to be a good mother to your kids, and make time to have fun with your husband. You desperately need feet that aren't throbbing from bunion pain.
Your biggest concern is figuring out a way to be in style for work without bunion pain.
Let's drop the style issue for a moment and focus on what I'm going to do to help you resolve the pain you're in. Because as long as you're in pain, style will always be secondary unless you're a total slave to fashion like Victoria Beckham.
As a Seattle podiatrist my goal in helping you with your bunions is two-fold:
- Relief the pressure and pain caused by the irritation brought on by the bunions
- Stop the progression of your bunions
Very often we'll be able to get you comfortable without surgery through:
- Use of protective padding to remove the friction caused by your foot rubbing against your shoes.
- Getting rid of corns and calluses
- Evaluating your foot type to determine if orthotics will help offload the pain
- And of course, choosing shoes that will keep your tootsies happy and won't exacerbate your condition.
Choose shoes that are supportive and fit properly, with a heel of one inch or lower, and a toe box that accommodates your bunion (no pointy shoes for you, sorry).
In the past several years shoe designers have gotten smart. They realize that a large number of women have foot problems. And that there's no way they'll squeeze into a shoe that may have started them down the path to bunions in the first place.
Some good places to start include:
- Nordstrom, of course - Nordies has some of the best buyers and staff in the industry so check there first.
- Barking Dog Shoes - this online store has been around since 2007 and was started by a woman who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and still wanted to wear cute shoes.
- Calla Shoes - still want to dress like Victoria Beckham? Attention: I don't recommend heels to any of my bunion patients. However, if you're going to wear them anyway you might as well try one that says they're designed for women with bunions.
