Sarah Stacey's Health & Wellbeing Notes: Keep problem feet happy with shoes fit for fashionistas
Even if you’re one of the millions with bunions or wider feet, you can step out happily with Sole Bliss
It seems the potential for bunions has been with us since mankind first came down from the trees and swopped from all fours to standing upright. The anatomy of our feet was adapted to grasping on to branches rather than pressing down forcefully on our soles and tramping across the Savannah. And then came the pressures and squeezes of modern shoes and boots…
The condition was named in medical literature in 1870 by German surgeon Carl Hueter who coined the term ‘hallux valgus’; hallux means big toe and valgus refers to a deformity where part of the limb is displaced away from the midline.
This knobbly red painful deformity usually affects the joint where the big toe connects to your foot although occasionally people suffer a ‘bunionette’ of the little toe. The word ‘bunion’, by the way, comes from the Latin bunio, or turnip… (Talk about adding insult to injury.)
Bunions are estimated to affect over one in five adults between 18 and 65 years old and more than one in three over 65. The majority are women. No prizes for guessing why – the villain being our love of cramming the complex structure of our feet into tight shoes with pointy toes. Very high heels make the condition worse as your toes are forced down at a steep angle. Pretty yes – well, maybe - but the root cause of longterm problems.
Bunions do occur in cultures where people don't wear shoes but much less commonly, according to the British Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society. To be fair, there may be other contributing factors. Bunions tend to run in families, probably because of an inherited tendency to unusually flexible joints.
Surgery is the only way to ‘cure’ a bunion. (If you are considering this, it is vital to find a properly trained and experienced surgeon; 85 per cent of people who’ve had surgery are satisfied but do the math – that leaves 15 per cent who are not.) Otherwise it’s a question of managing the condition and that’s where footwear company Sole Bliss comes in.
This truly fab range of shoes was created especially for women with bunions or wide feet by Lisa Kay. As a long-term shoe industry insider, Lisa spotted the need for shoes that were both fashionable and comfortable to wear for women with bunions, wide feet or who, like the Duchess of Cornwall (a Sole Bliss devotee – spot her in Ingrid: Camel Leather), need shoes they can stand in happily for long periods.
Sole Bliss shoes and boots are cut wide but the clever designs mean they really don't look it. The range features an innovative ‘Bunion Bed ®’, with a soft stretch panel to give space for your bunion across the width of your foot. Under your sole are three layers of memory foam to cushion and contour your feet as well as providing shock absorption as you walk.
Luckily, neither Jo nor I suffer from bunions but my size-6 feet, while not flipper-wide, are certainly not elegantly narrow. Now I can waltz around in my own Ingrid: Red Suede, gorgeous courts with a small low heel, the ones on the left in the picture below. (They also come in Nude, Camel, Leopard, Black and Pale Grey Suede, and Black Leather.)
This season, Sole Bliss offers the most elegant range of boots, courts, pumps (very Chanel) at competitive prices. Heels are from £149 and the lust-provoking ankle boots run from £199.
Although you can’t try them on in a shop (yet), you can see the whole range and order online at solebliss.com, or telephone your order to 01923-227400 and Lisa assures us that her staff are super-helpful. She sometimes suggests ordering two pairs so you can try on and then return if necessary.
