H E A LT H & b e au t y
High-Heel Foot Makeover Surgery By Madison Cole
A
dmit it: For a lot of us, counting down to Memorial Day means getting summer-ready. We load up on green juice and cut down on refined sugar. We hoof it to bootcamp and laserderm facials. But, between mouthfuls of microgreens and interval training sessions, we probably forget to take care of one thing: Our feet. We do a lot to stay healthy and, well, flawless, but we do most of it in sky-high heels. And foot problems, particularly bunions and hammer toes, are a natural product of experiencing life with a three-inch lift. So, how should we face beach days and summer soirées with bulbous, bent toes that feel as bad as they look? Well, rather than hide our feet in the sand, hobble through cocktail hours or embrace black-tie flats, we could follow the crowds of hopelessly devoted heel-lovers to the Manhattan office of Dr. Neal Blitz. Over the past few years, the New York–based reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon and his “high-heel makeover” have earned a global following. Through his signature procedure, Dr. Blitz has helped thousands of patients get rid of their toe woes and hold onto
their shoe collections. Bunions are exceedingly common in the U.S. — more than half of American women suffer from the unsightly and often painful condition, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Despite the common misconception, a bunion isn’t exactly a growth. It’s a bone that’s shifted out of place. “It’s really the misalignment of the big-toe joint pushing out on the skin from underneath that causes the bony prominence,” says Dr. Blitz. While some doctors believe bunions only afflict people who are genetically predisposed to the condition, other foot experts say bunions are often a casualty of logging miles in stilettos, whether or not bunions run in the family. Support for this position dates back to at least the 1940s, when a podiatrist named Samuel Shulman discovered that people who didn’t wear shoes simply didn’t get bunions, a common issue in America even then. Shulman made the connection during World War II when army duties brought him to China and India. He spent over a year surveying thousands of people,
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