Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonymous  I stumbled across a webpage, newenglandpodiatry.com, and they list high heels causing bunions under the catagory of "common misconceptions". This is the first group that I have seen not blame high heels for bunions. And they appear to be a reputable group. Besides, a buddy of mine, who has never worn a high heel shoe in his life, has the worst bunions that I have ever seen. |
Having seen all of the inputs and misconceptions posted here, I thought I'd add my 2 cents worth.
First of all, doesn't this thread really belong in
The Infirmary?
I'll let Richie handle that one.
As I have mentioned in other threads, my mother was 5'2" barefooted. Also, she was a real Mutt & Jeff act with my father who was a foot taller. So she wore heels all of her adult life. Unless she was going barefoot, I can't remember ever seeing her in shoes with less than 2" heels, and I'm talking about when she was well into her 60's. She also had bunions and I can clearly remember her complaining about them
(she also tended to blame the heels for them).
Now that I am well into my 60's I can truthfully say that I've been wearing heels almost as long as she did (perhaps not as often), but I haven't the first sign of a bunion. So I have serious doubts about the heels causing bunions.
Well recently I read an article that blames: A] tight fitting shoes - particularly narrow or pointy toed shoes; and B] heredity - yes, mom and pop can give you a predisposition to bunions. So then I got to thinking about the matter and, sure enough, it seems that my mother had a lot of pointy-toed shoes in her closet. Personally, I'm inclined to believe that heredity, diet, and ill-fitting shoes can all be contributing factors in the matter. So if I had to name any one thing, I'd tend to focus on heredity and/or diet. But I do believe that anyone who would buy pointy-toed shoes is also unwise. I personally tend to buy open-toed shoes simply because I like them. Still, if the toe box doesn't leave sufficent room then you're headed for trouble.
So why do so many people tend to blame high heels for bunions? I think that much like those who would climb Mt. Everest - simply because it's
there.
