The Link between Footwear and Foot Pain Highlighted at Tailorsbunion.com

July 31, 2012 - PRLog -- According to a recent survey commissioned by the Institute for Preventative Foot Health, over 78 percent of Americans have experienced foot problems at some point during their lifetime. While many common foot ailments are declining in prevalence, overall foot health appears to have changed little since the survey was commissioned three years ago.

One of the foot health issues that has changed little is the prevalence of tailors bunions or bunionettes. Big toe bunions have seen a slight decline in occurrence, yet small toe bunions have increased by the same degree.  Little can be read into this data due to the small sample size and the fact that the increase/decrease was not statistically significant in either case; however what is clear from the survey results is the causes of these toe deformities have not been tackled by the general population.

Tailorsbunion.com is dedicated to raising awareness of the common causes of bunions of the little toe, such as how to prevent them forming and to offer help to sufferers on common treatment methods. Footwear choice is the most common cause of these small toe bunions and it is claimed that by improving awareness of how footwear can cause these and other foot problems, that many people can prevent them from occurring. The website proposes that making a simple change to footwear is all that is necessary in order to reduce the risk of developing these foot deformities.

“Tailors bunions affect women far more than men and it is the choice of footwear which we believe to be the leading cause. Women who wear shoes with a tight and restrictive toe box are exerting unnatural pressure on the sides of their feet. Over time this leads to the formation of a bunionette at the base of the small toe. This problem is exacerbated by wearing a high heel which increases the pressure further” says website founder Jennifer Lee.

Tailors bunions take their name from the profession where they were highly prevalent, being caused by hours sitting cross-legged on hard floors while making clothes. It is pressure on the first joint of the small toe caused by this seating position which was the most common cause. It therefore stands to reason that if sitting cross-legged is not causing the problem, that something else is causing that pressure.  Bunions and toe deformities certainly have a hereditary component, and in some cases cannot be avoided. However, even with a genetic predisposition to these foot problems it does not mean that preventative steps will have no effect.

“Although it is not necessary for women to stop wearing heels and tight and restrictive fashionable footwear altogether, it is important that the use of these shoes is restricted and the feet are given some time to recover” says Steven Alder; a contributing author on the website. He goes on to say that “these toe deformities do not develop overnight and it is overuse of fashionable footwear which is the problem rather than the occasional night out in fashionable shoes”.

Another interesting area highlighted by the recent Institute for Preventative Foot Health survey is the decrease in the use of foot measuring as part of the footwear purchase process.  According to the survey there has been a marked decline in measuring the feet properly as part of the fitting process.  Tailorsbunion.com hypothesizes that this could well play an important role in the development of tailors bunions and other foot deformities. When ill fitting shoes are worn the chances of foot problems will naturally increase. Only 18% of participants in the survey had their feet properly measured with a Brannock device before purchasing their last pair of shoes.  

The survey also indicates that few Americans have had a gait analysis completed to find out what the feet need in terms of support. Only 7 percent of Americans have had a gait analysis performed before choosing footwear according to the survey.

Since bunions can be caused by congenital defects in the feet and these defects can often be easily addressed with properly fitting shoes and corrective insoles, bunions and tailors bunions should be easy to prevent. Having a gait analysis performed at least once  a year is being promoted by the website as a great way to take preventative action to stop tailors bunions from forming, in addition to a number of other foot problems.
“By raising awareness of the common causes of bunions and highlighting simple preventative steps which can be taken to improve foot health we hope that by the time the National Foot Health Assessment is run again there will have been a significant decline in the occurrence of tailors bunions in the US” says Alder.

Further information on tailors bunions and other footwear related health problems can be found on http://tailorsbunion.com