Young People Considering Surgery For Bunions

When you think of bunions, you likely think of older people who can't get their shoes on because of the bony prominence.
But bunions are a foot condition that attacks both young and old people. Take Kacey Barker, 26, of , who found herself with a pretty bad bunion. "Mine got progressively worse over the years. With all the sports and wear and tear... anything and everything was bothering it," Barker told the Wall Street Journal.

Haverhill, Massachusetts
The pain from the bunion had become so severe that Barker had to stop all athletic activities, including running, field hockey, and softball. After a charity walk last fall, she couldn't take the pain any longer and decided to have surgery to correct the deformity. She went to see Dr. James Ioli, chief of podiatry at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, who performed a chevron, which involves cutting the front part of the first metatarsal into a "V", moving the bone, and holding the sections together with screws. Six weeks later, she's still in a surgical boot and has another six weeks to recover. Barker's goal is to be pain-free on the dance floor at her wedding in September.
"A lot of my friends thought bunions were for women who are old or who wear high-heeled shoes for decades," says Barker, who normally wears sensible, supportive shoes. "It's definitely not something to take lightly. But for me, I'm excited to just be able to get back into a normal routine."
Claudia Ngo, 22, went to see Dr. Neil Blitz, chief of foot surgery at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center for her bunion in July. She received a bunionplasty, which is a cosmetic approach to the correction of bunions. "I always tried to hide, wearing socks and shoes around my friends or a blanket on the couch. In college I would wear heels... so they actually got bigger," said Ngo, of Bethesda, Maryland.
The first podiatrist she went to recommended she wait for bunion surgery and to only have them corrected if they were causing her pain. Ngo had pain after she wore heels all day or after working out, but not on a regular basis.
After Dr. Blitz performed the surgery on her right foot, she was able to walk with a surgical shoe right away. "After four weeks I was wearing regular shoes. Now I'm really happy with the results, it looks perfect," says Ngo, who plans on having the procedure done on her left foot this year.
Meghan Morrison's bunions haven't progressed to the same degree that Ngo's and Barker's did, but she's keeping an eye on them. So far the 27 year old graduate student from Nashville, Tennessee is using conservative treatment therapies, like avoiding high heels, wearing flat, wide shoes with support and padding. But if the bunions get worse, she will have surgery. "I don't want my feet to end up looking insane and horrific. And if it ever got to a point where I couldn't walk or be active I would definitely do it," says Morrison.
Reference: Wall Street Journal.
If you have a bunion, call our Glastonbury or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Ayman M. Latif, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Foot Deformity Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Glastonbury and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, friend and like our page on Facebook, and follow my tweets on Twitter.

My Baby's Toe Curls- Is That Normal?

Your child may have been born with curly toe, which describes a toe with a flexion contracture, which

causes the toe to flex and bend under the adjacent toe. The deformity is characterized by flexion and medial deviation of the proximal joint of the toe and lateral rotation of the distal joint. The cause is congenital tightness of the flexor tendons. The second and third toes are the most common toes that curl, with the pinky toe being the least common.
It is uncommon for curly toe to cause problems. 25% of toes resolve by the child's first birthday. Some toes will spontaneously resolve by the age of six. There is often a family history of curly toe, consistent with autosomal dominant transmission.
Some children will have pressure between the toes, which can cause pressure sores or blisters. The adjacent toe may develop corns because of pressure from the other toe. Shoes with extra padding or space will be required. If the child continues to have skin problems, a simple procedure is available to improve the toe position.
Diagnosis is made by physical examination. Curly toes are typically present bilaterally and x-rays will often be used to rule out other deformities and abnormalities.
Treatment sometimes involves taping of the toe, but the deformity usually recurs once the taping is taken off. Surgery is recommended for children over the age of 6 who have a persistent deformity. A simple open flexor tenotomy leads to relief of symptoms and does not lead to hyperextension.
If your child has curly toe, call our Glastonbury or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Ayman M. Latif, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Foot Deformity Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Glastonbury and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow my tweets on Twitter.

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Trevor's Disease

Trevor's Disease is an extremely rare congenital bone developmental disorder that occurs in one case per million. It is three times more common in males than females.

This disease is characterized by an asymmetrical limb deformity due to localized overgrowth of cartilage, resembling osteochondroma. It usually affects the lower limbs and it is also known as dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica (DEH) or Fairbanks Syndrome. It affects the epiphyseal plate, or growth plate, at the end of a long bone. The plate is found in children and adolescents, but not adults, whose epiphyseal plate is replaced by epiphyseal line. The disease was named after researcher David Trevor, who believed the disease to be a congenital error in epiphyseal development that affects limb buds during early fetal life.
Trevor's Disease is a benign disorder, and no cases of malignant transformation have been reported. The causes are not known and the disease does not appear to be genetically transmitted. Typically a lesion will grow in size until skeletal maturity with a progression toward pain and arthrosis.
Patients with Trevor's Disease will have painless swelling or a mass on one side of the joint, limitation of motion, angular deformity, concomitant regional muscle wasting, and recurrent locking of the joint. It may be commonly confused with chondroblastoma, osteochondroma, or enchondroma.
Trevor's Disease should be treated if the lesion is causing pain, deformity, or interference with function.
If you have Trevor's Disease, call our Glastonbury or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Ayman M. Latif, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Foot Deformity Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Glastonbury and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, friend and like our page on Facebook, and follow my tweets on Twitter.

Related articles

• When To Call A Podiatrist
• 10 Tips For Bunion Surgery Recovery
• What Is Jackson-Weiss Syndrome?
• You Don't Have To Be A Bird To Have Claw Toes
• Mallet Toes: Not Something You Hammer With
• Can My Child Have A Bunion?
• I Have A Long Second Toe!
• Overlapping and Underlapping Toes

I've Got An Extra Toe!

Polydactyl is a deformity present at birth, when the baby is born with extra fingers or toes. It usually occurs in single duplication, meaning just one extra digit.
Associated anomalies include duplications bilaterally (both feet) in 40-50% of patients, but often duplications are not symmetrical. Syndactyl (webbing) of the toes occurs in 1/5 of patients, and Down's Syndrome is present in a minority of patients. Only 30% of patients will have a positive family history of polydactyl.
It occurs in 1 to 2 of 1,000 births, in 0.3 to 1.3 of 1,000 caucasian births, and 4 of 1,000 black births, and males more than females.
Polydactyl occurs when the body follows a different set of directions when forming the feet during development. Researchers are still learning about the genes that cause polydactyl. It may be caused by an associated syndrome, like Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome (GCPS) or Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS).
Extra digits are often poorly developed and attached by a small stalk, generally on the little toe. Some are well-formed and may even function. Poorly formed digits are usually removed. If there are no bones in the toe, tying a string around it will cause the toe to fall off over time.
In older patients, the main complaint is difficulty with shoe gear.
Treatment of polydactyl is typically surgery, which excises the toe, providing the toe with the most normal contour, to facilitate shoe wear. Typically the most lateral toe is excised, depending on whether the deformity is pre or post axial. Pre-axial means the extra toe is adjacent to the big toe, while post-axial means they are adjacent to the pinky toe. Most surgeons will recommend surgery after 1 year, to reduce aesthetic risks, and prior to walking, allowing for the greatest potential for remodeling. Patients are often referred in at ages 4 or 5 because of difficulty with shoe wear.
If your child is born with extra toes, call our Glastonbury or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Ayman M. Latif, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Foot Deformity Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Glastonbury and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow my tweets on Twitter.

 Related articles

• I Have A Long Second Toe!
• When To Call A Podiatrist
• 10 Tips For Bunion Surgery Recovery
• Mallet Toes: Not Something You Hammer With
• What Is Jackson-Weiss Syndrome?
• Can My Child Have A Bunion?
• Overlapping and Underlapping Toes
• You Don't Have To Be A Bird To Have Claw Toes
• My Toes Are Webbed Like A Duck!