We use our feet to get up, walk, run, etc; they are our independence. But do we ever think about them? In general, we don’t give them any importance, as we are too busy with “everything else”.
However, our feet offer us that freedom of action of which we are not aware until we lose it.
For example, when it comes to choosing footwear, we prioritize fashion, style or beauty, without taking into account the physiological aspect. It is not until our feet hurt and say: “this is as far as we have come”, that we take notice of them.
That day everything changes, and I receive the patient in my office with a face of circumstance, perplexed, astonished:
– A fracture? Now? It can’t be. It can’t be now. Now I don’t have time!
– But haven’t you ever thought that those shoes, so narrow, with that heel and that sole, are not suitable for running behind the bus?
Foot deformities: the bunion or Hallux Valgus
Sometimes the ailments do not come so quickly (sprain, fracture, etc.) and the patient begins to suffer a foot deformity due to the use of bad footwear, usually a shoe that is too high and too narrow, which awakens the genetic basis of a deformity such as bunion or Hallux Valgus.
But although there is a genetic basis, the bunion or claw toe often appears only after prolonged use of inappropriate footwear (we consider inappropriate footwear those with high heels and narrow toe, thin and hard sole, rigid, not adaptable and not breathable).
This footwear causes a deformity in the foot that consists mainly in that the first and fifth toes are narrowed and approximate each other, while the rest of the toes, the second, third and fourth, are raised and flexed, constituting a deformity called “claw toes”.
But we do not usually give importance to this malformation. Normally the patient comes to the consultation of the specialist in Traumatology after years suffering intense pain, calluses and wounds; bunions and claw toes.
Treatment of bunions or Hallux Valgus
Fortunately, the treatment of these ailments and deformities has evolved dramatically in the last 10 years. Aggressive and painful surgical treatments have given way to minimally invasive treatments. In other words, what many people refer to as “operating without opening”.
The advantages of this innovative technique are many: less pain, less bleeding, minimal destructuring of the anatomy, limitation of aesthetic damage, minimal surgical infections, rapid recovery and return to normal life, etc.
Deformities of the feet: hammertoe or claw toe
The nerves that give sensitivity to the forefoot are compressed and inflamed, producing a dull and intense pain, tingling sensation and cramps, in what is known as Morton’s neuroma.
The plantar arch becomes more pronounced and the plantar fascia becomes inflamed, which can lead to the formation of a Calcaneal Spur, a bony spike that digs into the heel when walking.
On the other hand, Metatarsalgia occurs when the body weight is distributed incorrectly and increases the pressure on the metatarsal head.
So, while it is true that there is a treatment for each of the foot deformities, it is advisable not to go to this extreme and take care of your feet.