It’s hard to believe, but here in NYC, the nuclear winter continues. We had snow on the first day of Spring, and it’s still cold outside. Take that, Al Gore! What that means for my NYC podiatry patients is that boots are still a necessity for navigating the mean streets of midtown Manhattan. And with boots, comes boot trauma.
The foot is a marvel of engineering, a most wondrous machine, yadda yadda yadda. I think it was Leonardo da Vinci or someone who said that. Whatever they actually said it sounds true. I say, the foot is a marvel of skin, bones, muscle and tendon that is stuffed into a tight shoe and forced to pound the hard concrete streets of NYC every cold slushy day of a most miserable winter. Shoes need to protect against the elements and keep us warm, and sometimes comfort takes a back seat. Can’t we all get along, people? Winter boots often seem to be the culprit in what I can only term boot trauma- the aches and pains that limp into my NYC podiatry office in the form of compressed nerves, squished toes and inflamed bunions, hammertoes and bone spurs.
Of course, any season has the potential for shoes to be just a bit too tight. It’s important to remember that the true width of the foot is what is observed when placing the foot down on the ground at the end of the day when it is at is widest. Bunions and bunionettes will splay outward, and the foot can be seen at its widest, which can be considerably wider than the rearfoot. This is the best time and reference for shoe fitting. Fit the shoes to the forefoot at its widest time and point, and the shoes will fit well. Remember that one leg is longer and one foot bigger in up to 96% of the population, so fit the biggest foot, and be prepared for the heel to slip out of the shoe slightly, which can be remedied easily by readily available materials from your local pharmacy or shoe repair shop.
Yes, Virginia, there is a sun, and it will eventually come out and warm our Earth. Let’s look forward to that day together, and be hopeful that we can someday ditch our coats and hats. And let’s all try to be good to our feet.
See you in the office.
