Sometimes surgical correction of foot deformities is needed to stop pain. However, it is always nice for the patient to find out that a simple remedy to their foot pain is through a change or alteration to their current shoe gear. Take for example, the patient above who came in complaining of pain in his 1st metatarsal phalangeal joint (or big toe joint). He had bought a new pair of boots that seemed to coincide with his new onset of pain. The radiograph results were a powerful tool for the patient to visualize the dramatic change in shape his foot must take to fit in these boots. So, out went the boots, and with them went the pain. He may still have a little arthritis in the big toe joint that may need surgical attention in the future, but for now he will enjoy his activities with less pain. 
 
-Jeff Merrill, DPM, AACFAS