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Existing thought in the orthopedic world is that treating a bunion with the minimally invasive procedure MISB may make a person's flatfoot worse. A new study shows that this procedure does not make flatfoot worse in people with asymptomatic flatfoot and may even improve the condition. "Because of the way bunion correction is performed with MISB, there is thought that it may not help stabilize the foot in the same way that more extensive, open procedures performed at the midfoot do," said Anne Holland Johnson, MD. "When someone has a flatfoot deformity, which is essentially a fallen arch, the idea...

Turning to my FRiends for some medical guidance. I had a couple of quick questions in advance of seeking medical advice; I have what appear to be budding bunions. Actually my condition came on slow and seems to be advancing very quickly and, currently, it is affecting only one foot. First some background: I am 48 years old in and very good health. About 2 years ago our business ~ a graphic design, web and marketing enterprise that I started with my wife 10 years ago ~ went south with the rest of the economy. We normally had contracts to...

Psychology student wins first German stiletto race Sat Aug 19, 5:25 PM ET BERLIN (AFP) - A 25-year old psychology student ran away with the first foot race down Berlin's swish Kurfuerstendamm boulevard in stiletto high heels. It took Nadine Sonnabend just 12 seconds to run the 100 metres (328 feet) on her seven centimetre-high heels (almost three inch), said the organisers of the Stiletto Run, which is being held as part of the Global Fashion Festival. "I much prefer tennis," admitted Nadine, as she walked off with her 10,000-euro (12,800-dollar) voucher to spend at Berlin's most prestigious department store...

Posted on Tue, May. 02, 2006 For women's feet, bliss is turning to blisters After being coddled by winter footwear, they now must suffer the indignities of warm-weather shoes. By Tanya Barrientos Inquirer Staff Writer Look down. There's a raw human drama taking place right now at shoe level. The annual sacrifice of women's feet. Protected by socks and tights all winter long, coddled by boots and sneakers, the feet of females everywhere have turned tender and weak. Each toe, each heel, each insole has become a pillow of soft pink. So vulnerable. So defenseless. And so unprepared for the...

Sturdy shoes first came into widespread use between 40,000 and 26,000 years ago, according to a US scientist.Humans' small toes became weaker during this time, says physical anthropologist Erik Trinkaus, who has studied scores of early human foot bones. He attributes this anatomical change to the invention of rugged shoes, that reduced our need for strong, flexible toes to grip and balance. The research is presented in the Journal of Archaeological Science. The development of footwear appears to have affected the four so-called "lesser" toes - excepting the big toe. Ancient footwearWhile early humans living in cold northern climates may...