If you act early enough you can prevent getting your parents bunions! You inherit your height and body type, but did you know your foot shape and even the way you walk are being handed down, too.
Your walk is based on the type of foot you were born with. If your parents have bunions, they could have flat feet. People with flat feet walk with the outside of the heel hitting the ground first. The foot then rolls in too much and the two big toes are used to push off from the ground. When this happens, the impact isn’t absorbed evenly, so the foot and ankle aren’t stable and don’t support the body properly. This is called Overpronation. It is found in people with low arches, flat feet or people who are overweight. With this type of foot shape, there is a higher chance of bunions, and foot and ankle injuries.
It could be that your parents didn’t have those big bunions when they were young. Just like everything else on our body, over time, tendons and ligaments change in our feet. When this happens, the appearance of the feet changes, too.
There is a way to stop the decline of your foot. Wearing orthotics that are custom molded to your feet can keep your foot in the right position so that when you step down you will have a more neutral step. This reduces the big toe from taking on all the pressure, which reduces the chance of having those large painful bunions. This is an easy fix to save you from having pain and surgery when you get older.
At Hollowbrook Foot Specialist we specialize in custom molded orthotics. If you know that your family is prone to bunions call our office for an appointment (845) 298-9074 and have Dr. Schlam take a look at your feet to see if orthotics can help you to avoid or slow the progress of bunions.
Hollowbrook Foot Specialist serving the Hudson Valley from Wappingers Falls.
By David Schlam
