next »

[treehouse]

Anyone else have problems with bunions and metatarsal pain? Anyone had surgery to correct the problem?

I have foot pain and a very hard time finding shoes that fit because of structural problems with my feet. I have very loose joints and over the years my feet have developed bunions as a result. It's common in my family. When I walk, my weight goes onto the second or third toe joint instead of the big toe because of the way the joint is deformed, and since those smaller joints are not designed to support the full weight of the body, they become inflamed.

I'm thinking of getting surgery to correct the bunions, but don't know how effective it is.

[bacardiandlime]

I've had similar problems since childhood (NOT because I wore tight shoes, quite the opposite, my mother always bought the super-orthopedic type), and I have had doctors tell me it can be inherited and come from fetal position. Apparently tends to strike first children (are you the oldest in your family?). While I was in my early teens it was excruciating, I had periods when my feet were black with bruises, just from walking. (I likewise have hypermobile joints)
Don't know how old you are, but I was told that surgery when I was young was pointless, as the feet would regress again. I went to a sports podiatrist who actually videoed my gait and measured everything to create effective orthotics. I have found that some podiatrists who generally deal with older folk tend to focus just on bunion pads etc; while I was very active athletically it made a real difference to go and see someone who was focused on dealing with sportspeople (he treated a lot of pro athletes). He gave me great advice on sports shoes (for middle distance running) too.

[msparticularity]

The source of my foot problems is very different from yours, but it sounds like some of the problems are similar. In my case, my arthritis is worst in my metatarsals, which can make walking very, very painful--as is the case for you, of course. Depending upon which particular joints are acting up, I either wear Earth shoes (which shift your weight to your heels because of their slope) or Birkenstocks and Chacos, where the deep heel cup and pronounced medial arch support likewise keep my weight off of my painful little toesies. :)

[history_grrrl]

I have similar structural problems -- which now include bunions, hammertoes, the works -- mainly because of a weak connective tissue problem. No instep. I've been told that fixing this would require total foot reconstruction (eww), and that addressing the bunion thing would only work if my big toes were immobilized with plates and pins (eww); otherwise, they'd just revert right back to their old, evil ways.

What's really annoying is that now, just when I'm preferring open-toe shoes for comfort, my toes are at their ugliest ever. Sigh.

My shoe solutions:

Gym shoes: Brooks. Excellent arch support and toe room.

Sandals: Finn Comfort men's (they don't have my size in women's) with a closed back. They're hippie-ish, but that works for me. Except there's that hideous toe problem.

Nice winter boots: La Canadienne Alexa. Low heel, square toe. Worth every penny; I can now wear skirts in the winter.

Other: Drew Shoes. Fantastic arch support, high and wide toe box, etc. Trek High for clomping-around winter boots. Lori for "dress up," which make it possible for me to look professional in the classroom. This company has dramatically improved my quality of life.

[belladonna]

I too have problems with bunions. When I saw a podiatrist about six years ago, he recommended surgery. From his description of the surgery, it sounded like total foot reconstruction. I decided to hold it off because I don't really have foot pain, although it is annoying to break in new shoes. Oh yes, and this foot problem runs in my family as well. This thread is now making me think about getting the surgery.