Q. I have high arches and often my feet hurt after I have been standing for long periods of time. Could I benefit from arch supports and should I have them custom made by a podiatrist?
A. Arch pain is a common foot complaint for patients who have low arches and less commonly with patients who have high arches.
Properly diagnosing the underlying condition is essential in determining the proper recommendation. It is not always necessary to purchase custom made "orthotic" devices.
Q. I have pain in my big toe joint. X-rays show bones spurs and degenerative problems. My doctor wants to do surgery which involves an osteomy because he says my bone is too long.
I'm a teacher so I need to do it in the summers. Because I've had kidneys stones, shingles, hip surgery, and rectal surgery (one each summer) I don't really feel like another ordeal.
The pain in the foot is bad sometimes, and hardly hurts other times. How painful and limiting is the recovery, and what would be the dangers to wait? Tried orthotics, made it hurt more.
Your description suggests that you do have degenerative joint disease where the cartilage surface of the joint has been compromised. This condition generally responds well to outpatient ambulatory surgery that is focused on repairing the damaged cartilage surface and decompressing the joint by performing a shortening "osteotomy."
This is usually a procedure that takes less than 40 minutes and has limited post operative pain. Generally a surgical shoe is worn for about 3 weeks and then the patient is allowed to transition to an accommodative walking type shoe.
Delaying the surgery will most likely lead to more significant destruction of the joint cartilage and a more destructive surgical procedure like a joint implant or a joint fusion.
Selecting a foot surgeon who routinely does this type of surgery is one very important factor in achieving a successful outcome.
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