Alpha Orthotics Blog

Bunion splint is a relief after hiking the Grand Tetons

In one of my earlier blogs during the winter, I mentioned my moose slippers and how my bunions preferred them to my ski boots. Well now that summer is here, my bunions and I went to Wyoming to hike the Grand Teton National Park. The jagged Tetons jut up from beneath the valley floor – approaching 30,000 feet - much like my bunion bumps spring out of my big toe joints! After the day-long hike, I walked comfortably around the rustic cabin in my hinged bunion splint. 

Thanks to this flexible splint, my feet with those bunions slipped comfortably into my new summer-time moose slippers!

Does Posh have a foot problem? She's in flats!

 

What is going on here?! Miss "I beyond hate ballerina flats" is at LAX in simple shoes! No sky-high stilleto, no teetering on shoes without a heel, but shoes the rest of us wear to the airport. Dare I ask if there is an orthotic in there?

We all know of Posh's bunion pain and things must really be getting bad. First, there were reports that she was wearing a night splint and resting her feet at home, then reports escalated to rumors of bunion surgery and doctors recommending an urgent bunionectomy... But I never thought I would see Victoria Beckham trade in her signature shoes for those of a commoner!

Now for all of you worried that Posh has lost of all her edge, don’t fret. She’s not shopping at DSW like the rest of us – her flats are $500 French Lanvin ballet flats, which are only available at retailers in Bal Harbor Florida and Las Vegas. So I guess if she’s going to fall from grace she might as well do it in style.

It's Paris Fashion Week! Leave your orthotics at home...

 

Paris Fashion Week is all about the shoes! But when even the model can't ignore the foot pain (you see the band aid, right?) it ruins my fantasy of strutting down the Champs Elysees in this season's hottest footwear with a baguette in one hand and a baret atop my head and reminds me that I can't say ‘no’ to good orthopedic support.

But if the focus is on the shoes what do you wear to Fashion Week? You sure can’t show up in your bunion shoes! After seeing the footwear at New York Fashion week Paris did not disappoint!

Celebrities and those hoping to be mistaken for a celebrity strapped on their highest heels and ignored their arch pain to take part in the festivities, like Lindsay Lohan who flitted from show to show in stilettos.

But don’t be disappointed, fellas! There’s one for you too: even Jared Leto dressed up his Nikes so it wouldn’t be left out of the fun! (Ahh those Nikes look a lot more comfortable than some of the other contraptions featured at Fashion Week!)

 

Shauna Sand teaches us how ignore foot pain

If we're going to talk about celebrities and their foot health we have to talk about Shauna Sand. (I know, I know, I am using the term "celebrity" loosely—don’t judge me until you check out her shoes!)

And just in case you have way more valuable things to do with your time then read Shauna Sand's Wikipedia page to try and figure out why she’s famous, this classy lady is best known for being a Playboy Playmate in 1996 then marrying (and divorcing) 80's soap star Lorenzo Lamas.

She's also known for these Lucite shoes.

Check out those heels! And she’s walking on the sand! She goes everywhere in those shoes – the pumpkin patch, the grocery store, the nightclub, the gym.
Girl, how do you do that? Do you wear a night split when no one is watching? Do you have clear, see-through, custom orthotics in the shoe? I don’t understand! Teach me!

And she hides her foot pain well because even if she wants to scream from aching feet she never is photographed without her trademark heels. Check out Shauna’s toes clinging to her shoes for dear life as she rides a segway across town—hammertoe is the least of her concerns!

Grammy's Shoe Watch 2010: Gaga, Fergie and Hallux Valgus

Now, I want you to look very closely at Gaga's shoe and tell me what is missing.....

Girlfriend is walking the red carpet with no heel on her shoes! And I use that term losely: she couldn’t even walk! She had to be escorted from photographer to interviewer by a handler—and who could blame her? Could you walk in such shoes?

And that was only the beginning of what I can only imagine was a night full of foot pain.

Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas danced on stage in backless shoes similar to Gaga’s, P!nk did acrobatics in stilettos, and everyone strutted the red carpet in sky-high heels sans foot support. Well, except for this young lady in flats who I don't recognize but the internet tells me is Olivia Fox.

As I ooh’d and ahh’d the dresses and accessories during the red carpet pre-show, I couldn’t help but wince watching pop music’s top starlets teetering down the carpet. In previous years stars have been known to take their shoes off mid-carpet and announce to the world that they have aching feet. But last night all the ladies balanced on their shoes, stuck out a hip, and smiled like they were wearing custom made orthotics.