Making Sure Your Shoes Stay Put!

We all love shoes!  Heels, platforms, mules and wedges - it doesn't matter as long as they make our legs look great and make the outfit!  But it's important to make sure they fit properly.

I was walking down Oak Street the other day and spotted this very fashionable young woman and while I was admiring her outfit, I happened to notice that her heels were flying off her shoes!

If you look at her right heel, you will see that her shoe is not supporting her right leg - the heel is falling toward the inside of the shoe!  The 4" platform creates a dangerous ledge that can easily cause significant damage if she were to slide even slightly off that shoe.

Given she is almost 50% off the shoe, this woman is at great risk to literally falling off her shoe (especially if she hits the sidewalk crack wrong).    She is at risk for not only injuring her ankle bones and ligaments, but also for tearing the main tendon that is responsible for supporting her arch.  Injury of this tendon could cause chronic pathology and the damage could it impossible for her to wear her shoes of choice later in life.

Please make sure you test your shoes fully before you purchase any new shoes.  Get off the carpeted area and really walk a test run before committing to that really great pair of shoes.  Unless they are what Oprah once called "dinner shoes" and aren't meant for walking.

What Actually is a "hairline fracture" Mr. President-Elect?

President-Elect Biden suffered a foot injury while playing with his dog “Major” over the recent holiday weekend.  Mr. Biden was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of the middle and lateral cuneiforms which are located in the center region of the foot.  While this type of fracture is not usually associated with tripping over one’s dog, he will likely be in a walking boot or shoe for several weeks.

What is a “hairline fracture”?

Hairline fractures are actually “stress fractures” where the bone fractures or cracks under excessive stress and are common in the weight bearing bones of the foot.  They are usually caused by constant and repetitive stress and strain to the bone.  Stress fractures may occur from overuse, repetitive athletic activities and even due to bone alignment and foot deformities. High impact sports such as basketball, running and even ballet place someone at risk for a stress fracture.  

The treatment for stress fractures is to rest the bone and control the abnormal forces on the bone.  This may mean a cast, a walking boot or surgical shoe.  Healing will be monitored with x-rays and by the improvement of clinical symptoms.  It often takes a bone four to six weeks to heal enough to withstand forces placed on it.  If a bone were to be subjected to similar stress too early, it could easily refracture.  Generally, we tell patients to plan on at least 8 weeks without athletic activities after a stress fracture.  There are ways to speed up healing of bones as well as soft tissues but immobilization is always necessary to some degree.

While President-Elect Biden was transported presidential style to his doctor for a foot injury, all YOU have to do is contact Family Podiatry Center to be seen for an urgent same day or next day appointment.  And while Mr. Biden needed to go to a second facility, the physicians at Family Podiatry Center are the MOST qualified to evaluate, diagnose and treat all your foot and ankle injuries!  Podiatric physicians are specifically trained in all thing’s feet – giving you the best and most appropriate care rather than first seeing a general or even a general orthopedic physician or physician assistant first.  At Family Podiatry Center, we have in-office x-ray and diagnostic capacity so you will most likely get an accurate diagnosis on your first visit!