FAQ

Gout is one of the most common forms of arthritis.  Gout is a disease process involving an increase the uric acid content in your blood cells. While this bloodstream disease was once thought of only affecting men (starting in their 30s and 40s), gout can also affect women, especially in the post-menopausal years. Several common findings with gout are histories of diabetes and obesity count. It can present itself very quickly, and as an example, many times a patient arises in the morning with an acute flare of pain that the very weight of the bed sheet on the foot causes severe pain! Some women have even compared this pain to that of childbirth. Gout is debilitating and sometimes a very alarming condition due to its sudden onset and can be a serious problem if not properly diagnosed and treated.

Bunions are one of the most common foot issues and occur much more frequently in women than in men, mostly because women often wear high heels and pointy shoes. According to the 2012 National Foot Health Assessment conducted by the NPD Group for the Institute for Preventive Foot Health, 8 percent of U.S. women over age 21 (or about 18 million women), and about 4 million men report having the condition.

Bunions are a very common, but often misunderstood, foot problem. A bunion is a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of the big toe. Bunions form when the big toe pushes against the next toe. Tight shoes, foot stress, and arthritis are causes. The main symptoms are bone deformity, pain, and stiffness. Treatments include changing shoes, padding the foot, and pain medications. Painful bunions can be removed surgically.

A bunion (hallux valgus) is a bony protrusion that forms most often in the joint at the base of the big toe. The big toe joint enlarges and forces the toe to point back toward the other toes, encroaching on them and sometimes overlapping them. This abnormal positioning puts pressure on the big toe joint, causing it to grow outward beyond the normal profile of the foot, resulting in pain and fitting difficulties in normal footwear. Bunions can also occur in the fifth toe joint (the little toe). In this location they are called “tailor’s bunions” or “bunionettes.”

Bunions run in families, because foot types, such as shape and structure, are hereditary (thanks, mom and dad!). Heredity is a prime cause of bunions, but there are secondary factors that can contribute to them as well.

If bunions are left untreated for too long, they can continue to grow in size, twisting the other toes out of alignment and giving the side of the foot a swollen or bent appearance. The toe joint might develop callouses where the bunion rubs against shoes.

If a bunion is not painful, surgery is not usually recommended. Bunions often get worse over time, but surgery is not recommended to prevent bunions from worsening, and oftentimes, proper footwear and other preventive care can slow down the progression of a bunion.