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Midwest Foot and Ankle Specialists, Davenport. â€Å"The typical problems I see are directly related to shoes that aren’t shaped like a person’s foot. Wearing shoes too small or those shaped in an unnatural way will cause deformities,† she adds. Pamela Davis, M. D. Foot amp; Ankle Specialists, Davenport, IA â€Å"Women are binding their feet† The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society found in a survey about 80% of women had foot pain and that 59% of women wear uncomfortable shoes for at least an hour a day, either for professional or fashion reasons. Dr. Davis sees the painful result frequently. â€Å"Unfortunately, many shoes are basically binding women’s feet and are causing painful stress fractures, bunions, hammertoes, and neuromas. † Bunions are common in women of various ages. â€Å"The younger you are, the more likely it is you have a genetic disposition to bunions. Later in life, it’s usually due to ill-fitting shoes. † Bunions follow a painful progression that conforms to the dangerous shape of pointed shoes. Initially the toes become crooked, pain sets in, then they get more crooked. Over time, the big toe heads toward the second toe, and the second, third and fourth toes head towards big toe. Time for surgery? Early treatment for bunions is pretty simple, says Dr. Davis: â€Å"Wear foot-friendly shoes. Later on it takes surgery to correct the deformities. I see a lot of people who don’t know if they should have surgery to correct deformities. Her rule of thumb: If you are having pain more days than not, then it’s time to have them fixed. But it’s the too tight, too-pointy shoes that are underneath most foot problems: â€Å"Ninety percent of the bunions and hammertoes that I see could be prevented with proper footwear,† adds Dr. Davis. And those are just two of the problems: metatarsalgia is a pain in the ball of the foot. High heels shove the foot into the pointed toe, causing high pressures in the ball of the foot. The middle bones get all the pressure, and the foot’s fat pad gradually loses its ability to cushion like it should. There’s no treatment but to get out of the heels,† she advises. Stress fractures in active women As more women participate in sports, stress fractures are also common. In newly active women, their bones break down because of the new stresses. In order to repair itself, the body needs to lay down new bone. When that process doesn’t happen quickly enough, the stressed bone will break Peri-menopausal women – usually those aged 45-55 – are especially at risk for stress fractures because they’re starting to lose bone mass. It’s important to maintain a good activity level and be sure to get enough calcium in your diet,† says Dr. Davis. â€Å"If you start having pain accompanied by swelling and redness on the top of the foot, back off. It is important to wear activity-specific shoes that fit well. They will protect you from injury. I generally recommend running shoes for walkers because they have more cushion and shock absorption. † Women who work in high heels should consider commuting in flats or tennis shoes, wearing heels every other day, or looking for fashionable shoes in lower elevations. I don’t have a shoe in my closet that has a heel higher than an inch and a half ,† says Dr. Davis. Because foot size often changes with age, women should have their feet measured for new shoes at the end of the day. Another tip: When buying shoes, make sure the widest part (the ball) of your foot fits comfortably; don’t expect shoes that are too tight to stretch to fit. Fashionable shoes – even some heels – should be comfortable. Common Women’s Foot Ailments: Bunions, Hammertoes and Neuromas Bunions are a common and painful consequence of wearing tight or ill-fitting shoes. When shoes cause too much pressure or friction, the body tries to develop a cushion that often becomes a painful bony lump – usually on the big toe’s first joint – covered by a pad of tender flesh. Bunions are not simply a cosmetic disorder. When the first joint of the big toe is shoved out of alignment, the bone just behind it juts out. That misalignment can become quite painful and decrease foot function. Surgeries to correct bunions and hammertoes sometimes involve correcting and realigning the toes or metatarsals and balancing the soft tissues. If there is a lot of arthritis, the big toe joint can be resurfaced. Hammertoes and their close relatives, mallet toes, develop when a toe becomes fixed in a crooked position with the end of the toe facing permanently downward like the head of a hammer. Limited room in tight shoes crowds the toes, which causes pain and difficulty in walking. Thick calluses (or corns) often develop on the tops of the affected toes and at the ball of the foot. Lengthening the shortened tendons with surgery can correct the situation. When arthritis is significant, the toe joint is often fused. Neuroma, a swollen foot nerve, can also be aggravated by tight or ill-fitting shoes. Shoe pressure squeezes the bones of the foot together until they press on the neuroma. When the bones rub on the nerves, it can hurt, and the entire lower foot may become numb or develop a burning or tingling sensation. In serious cases, a surgeon will remove the swollen nerve through the top of the foot. (Going in through the top allows patients to walk through recovery. ) Update: WQAD-TV ran a recent â€Å"Patient Power† story about Dr. Davis and this issue. You can watch the video below or  visit the MVHNews Online page on WQAD’s web site.