Foot Fun

What are comfortable shoes if I have bunions?

Lots of our patients have wide feet due to bunions and tailor’s bunions. Normal shoes, even the ones they advertise as wide, are NOT.

They may be wide in the middle and back of the foot, but most are not wide in the front. There is a brand called “anatomic.” It is a shoe that fits your anatomy and is wider where it should be in the front of the foot. These shoes are very comfortable when you have bunions. I switched to wearing them, and so did my whole family (we spend a lot on shoes).

My wife can’t wear anything besides these anatomic shoes because everything else hurts her foot.

If you have not tried a pair on, you can ask us when you come to see what a pair feels like. We carry Lems shoes in our office because no one else around has them, and it can be difficult to buy shoes online. There are many other brands, like Alta, Topo, and Vivobarefoot.

If you are a man looking for dress shoes, my favorite is Birchbury. Try them out. You might feel more comfortable, and your feet will thank you.

Here is a short video I made about the shoes we wear in our family (they are definitely not these Converse shoes).

You can watch the video - HERE.

A Carnival Adventure Gone Wrong! 

I was heading to the library with my kids in order to keep them occupied one Saturday because my wife was busy. Another friend called and convinced us to check out the local carnival at the DCU center. Big mistake! 

No Cash, No Fun! 

We arrived at the carnival, only to realize we needed cash to get in. And, of course, I had just used my last $10 for parking! The line for the ATM was ridiculously long, and we finally got our tickets after 30 minutes of waiting with four restless kids. Not a great start!

The Indoor Carnival Experience: Not Impressive 

Once inside, we were greeted by the unpleasant smell of animals from the petting zoo. The eight rides had super long lines, and people were frustrated. We even saw someone offer their leftover ride tickets to us for free - that's how bad it was! We lasted only ten minutes before bailing.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy: Don't Get Trapped! 

You know when you spend money and feel like you need to keep spending to justify it? That's the sunk cost fallacy! We saw many people falling into this trap, waiting in line after line for kids' rides. Not us, though - we cut our losses and left!

A Quick Exit and a Confession (Almost)! 

Our kids were hungry as we left, but luckily, my friend had some snacks. I wanted to warn the people walking in about the chaos, but I didn't have the heart. They'd figure it out soon enough!

Back to the Original Plan: Library Fun! 

We headed to the library, where we had a blast—for free! Sometimes, the best things in life are indeed free. We laughed about our carnival adventure and learned our lesson.

Question Of The Week

Are my bunions going to get worse?

Many patients come into the office with questions about bunions. This is the most common question I wanted to address today.

The short answer - I don’t know if your bunions will get worse.

The long answer - Look at your parents and family members. If they have big bunions, you may develop them as your foot type usually causes them. Other things like shoes and activities can also contribute to bunions.

You can do a few things to prevent them from getting worse, like wearing appropriate shoes, avoiding jamming in the joint with orthotics, and wearing toe spacers if appropriate.

You don’t need to suffer with bunion pain! 

Unsure how to deal with your foot pain? Call us at 508-757-4003 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Neil Feldman, Dr. Donald Pelto, Dr. Benjamin Saviet, or Dr. Matthew Monette. 

To your health,

Dr. Pelto