Foot Fix: Feet for Life Podiatry Centers

In cultures where footwear is rare, so are bunions. “Going barefoot is the best way to encourage healthy feet,” says board-certified podiatrist Dr. Michael Horwitz of Feet for Life Podiatry Centers. Bunions, however, almost always stem from genetic factors, Horwitz notes, but may be exacerbated by wearing the wrong type of shoe. That fact contributes to the common misconception that shoes cause the condition.

Thousands of Americans suffer from bunions, which are enlargements of the bone at the big toe joint. Often, they become worse over time and if left untreated can cause pain, swelling, skin irritation and other problems. While traditional treatment involves the implantation of permanent bone screws, Horwitz says he and his team have been piloting a program for a company that designs removable hardware.

One of the most significant advantages of this new treatment is that metal is not left inside the body. “Due to the many failed metal-on-metal hip implants being discovered, the FDA now is recognizing the need to study the material’s effects. We believe that metal has no long-term place in the human body unless it absolutely has to be there,” Horwitz stresses. The Easy Out bone screw was designed to remain implanted only for up to six months and be removed through a small incision within a matter of seconds. “A body can’t break down metal in that short time,” Horwitz says. After removal, the toe is healed and no longer needs an implant. Feet for Life has performed as many as 200 of these new procedures since 2014, “all without a single complication,” Horwitz says.

Although bunion surgery is reputed to be painful, Horwitz says the pain is, in part, a function of tight dressing. “If the patient loosens the dressing and elevates the foot, the postoperative period can be very tolerable,” he says. Recuperation is no different from that of the traditional bunion procedure, he notes, and usually requires the patient to be in a weight-bearing walking boot or surgical shoe for about four weeks. Recuperation after hardware removal is a matter of days, Horwitz says.

As for the dangers of poor footwear, he stresses the importance of avoiding tight shoes. He is a big proponent of ‘minimal shoes,’ which are specific light and flexible creations that “encourage a foot to act like a foot.” He says the United States and many other countries have been thoroughly misguided by the footwear and orthotics industries to believe that supporting the foot is good for foot health. “Quite the opposite is true. Going barefoot is the most natural and healthy thing providing there is no potential for injury,” Horwitz says.

In experienced hands, common bunion surgery can be performed in as little as 20 minutes, Horowitz says. The outpatient surgery is done at the Mid County Surgery Center in University City, a AAAHC certified center specifically designed for foot surgery.

Photo courtesy of Feet for Life Podiatry Centers

Dr. Michael Horwitz is: board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery; a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons; master surgeon and instructor for GraMedica International; former residency director of DePaul Surgical Residency Program; and director of MidCounty Surgery Center, a AAAHC-certified surgery center. Feet for Life Podiatry Centers have offices in Chesterfield Valley and University City-Clayton. Call 314.983.0303 or log on to feetforlifecenters.com.