Morton’s Neuroma can result from excessive wear of high heels and other ill-fitting shoes, recent news reports. The nerves located between the toes are high affected by the neuroma, creating a sensation similar to stabbing. Compression, injury, or damage to the nerve is the typical cause of the disorder. Women who therefore regularly wear high heels or narrow-fitting shoes are at particular risk for developing the condition. Using fibrous tissues that create thickening and enlargement, the nerve can repair itself if left untreated. Irregularities that interfere with optimal foot function, such as high arches, overpronation, and hypermobility, often aggravate the disorder.

Wearing shoes that are wide and deep in the toe area and that do not apply pressure to the metatarsals can help prevent Morton’s neuroma. By removing pressure from the nerve and promoting your foot’s natural anatomical position, metatarsal support pads can also help.

Morton’s neuroma can become troublesome if not properly dealt with. If you suspect that you have the condition, speak to Dr. Michael Stein of Foot Doctor of the East Bay. Dr. Stein will examine your feet and provide you with the proper treatment.

Morton’s Neuroma

Morton's neuroma is a painful foot condition that commonly affects the areas between the third and fourth toe and the ball of the foot, although other areas of the foot are also susceptible to this condition. Morton’s neuroma is caused by an inflamed nerve in the foot that is being squeezed and aggravated by surrounding bones.  Women are more likely than men to have an occurrence of this foot condition.

What Increases the Chances of having Morton’s Neuroma?

-Ill-fitting high heels or shoes that add pressure to the toe or foot area.
-Jogging, running and any sports that involve constant impact to the foot area.
-Flat feet, bunions, and any other foot deformity may put you at a higher risk for developing Morton’s neuroma.

If you suspect that you may have this condition, you should visit your podiatrist. A podiatrist will first conduct a thorough physical examination to check for palpable masses between the bones of the foot.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our offices in San Leandro, Pleasanton, and Los Gatos, CA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.

The “Flatform” shoe, a hybrid between flats and platforms, is a hot button fashion item endorsed by many celebrities. Famous faces including Miley Cyrus, Kate Bosworth, and Willow Smith have been spotted wearing a pair of flatforms.

They may be fashionable, but the wide array of health risks makes these shoes rather ugly. The feet and ankles move in dangerous, unnatural ways as a result of the combination of the inflexibility of the footwear and the extra height it brings. Many flatform shoe wearers, including a writer for Vogue, claim flatforms caused tears or ruptures in the ligaments in their lower limbs.

High heels may make you look good, but your feet certainly won’t feel good. If you wear high heels a lot and are experiencing foot pain, call podiatrist Dr. Michael Stein of Foot Doctor of the East Bay. Dr. Stein can diagnose any podiatric conditions that you have and help you get the care you need.

Effects of High Heels on the Feet

High heels are popular shoes among women because they are associated with femininity.  Despite their appeal, they can cause many health problems if worn too frequently.

What parts my body will be affected by high heels?

• Ankle Joints
• Achilles Tendon – may shorten and stiffen with prolonged wear
• Balls of the Feet
• Knees – heels cause the knees to bend constantly, creating stress on them
• Back – they decrease the spine’s ability to absorb shock, which may lead to back pain.  Also, the vertebrae of the lower back may compress.

What kinds of foot problems can develop from wearing high heels?

• Corns
• Calluses
• Hammertoe
• Bunions
• Morton’s Neuroma
• Plantar Fasciitis

How can I still wear high heels and maintain foot health?

If you want to wear high heeled shoes, make sure that you are not wearing them every day, as this will help prevent long term physical problems. Try wearing thicker heels as opposed to stilettos to distribute weight more evenly across the feet. 

For more information about the Effects of High Heels, follow the link below.

If you have any questions, please contact one of our offices in San Leandro, Pleasanton, and Los Gatos, CA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.

Read more about the Effects of High Heels

New 3D scans which are becoming available in the field of podiatry, show how the feet are positioned when placed in high heels.The scans reveal the potential complications in users of high heels.

 According to Andy Goldberg, consultant orthopedic surgeon, by wearing high heels all of your body mass gets unconfined to your toes which can cause inflammation.  It is recommended you limit high heels to about two hours and be sure to alternate shoes throughout the day.

Wearing high heels can cause risks to your feet. If you are suffering from foot pain due to excessive use of high heels, you can seek the help of a podiatrist like Dr. Michael Stein of Foot Doctor of the East Bay. Dr. Stein can help you with all your questions and foot care needs.

Effect of High-Heels on the Feet

Women have been wearing various kinds of high-heels for hundreds of years, mostly for aesthetic reasons. Shoes with heels make their wearer appear to be taller and to have longer and thinner legs, and change the wearer’s gait and posture. High-heels’ association with femininity have kept them popular over the years, but there are definite health problems caused by wearing high-heels too frequently.

High heels also limit the motion of the ankle joints as well when they are worn. The ankle is a very important joint in the body when it comes to walking. These joints have a great deal of weight put on them because of their location. This is why it is so important to keep them as healthy as possible. The main tendon in the ankle is the Achilles tendon. Studies have shown that wearing high heels often causes the calf muscle and Achilles tendon to shorten, and stiffens the Achilles tendon as well, which can cause problems when shoes without heels are worn.

By forcing the toes into a small toe box, and putting a great deal of pressure on the ball of the foot, high-heels can cause or worsen many foot problems, such as corns, hammertoe, bunions, Morton’s neuroma and plantar fasciitis. 

Wearing high-heels regularly, especially very high ones, can have long term negative effects on many other parts of the body, as well as the feet. One of the most important joints in the entire body, the knees, can be affected by wearing high heels. Wearing high heels causes the knees to stay bent at all times. It also causes them to bend slightly inward as well. Many doctors believe that constantly walking like this is the reason that women are so much more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis later in life. High-heels also cause increased stress on the knees by limiting the natural motion of the foot during walking.

If you have any questions, please contact one of our offices which are located in San Leandro, Pleasanton and Los Gatos, CA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.

Read more about high heels.