Marilyn Harris wrote:
> I wonder if this neat looking shoe made by Vibram;
> 
> http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/
> 
> can, to some degree, help prevent bunions if worn early enough. It is
> essentialy like going barefoot and emphasizes a separation of each 
> toe. I wonder if barefootedness helps avoid bunions  - a definitely 
> more Paleo approach to footware, at any rate.
> 
> Marilyn
> 

Barefoot-like shoes is an ingenious idea. The Indian study did find that
barefootedness helps children avoid flat feet, which should in turn reduce
the risk of later bunions (but not guarantee prevention). It may help slow
progression of bunions as well, though I know of no evidence of that.


C. Kuni wrote:
> Just for the record, I have extremely high arches, and I wear
> Birkenstocks --and I have bunions.  I'm new to Paleo diet (having a 
> very hard time sticking with it, but still working on it) and new to 
> the list.  Thanks for the discussion! Cynthia K.
> 

Yes, what you say matches my own experience and research. Poor-fitting shoes
appear to have more to do with aggravating bunion pain than causing bunions,
and while flat feet are a risk factor for bunions, that doesn't mean that
everyone who has bunions has flat feet. While less common than flat feet,
high arches are another structural problem that also puts stresses on the
feet (and legs and back).


Susan Carmack wrote:
> Could this bout of grain eating have caused me the bunion?

No, I don't think a single bout of grain eating could cause a bunion. I'm
not a podiatrist, but from what I know about them, they are supposed to take
years to develop. I'll bet your doctor could confirm this. The underlying
problem can exist without someone noticing it for years. Pain is often what
makes people notice a problem like bunions. I didn't take much notice of my
crowded and overlapping toes until they started digging painfully into each
other.


Sorry to all for the duplicate posts earlier in this thread. I received a
message that a post was rejected for being too long, so I broke it apart and
resent it as two messages, only to later see the original message post
anyway.