Bunions? Don't Blame Your Stilettos, Blame Genetics

For stiletto lovers, fear not. Your favorite shoes aren't necessarily to blame for your foot woes.

According to the Framingham Foot Study, which looked at 1,370 adults and found strong family histories of conditions like bunions, the results suggest a genetic predisposition to the problem.

While podiatrists believe that shoes can worsen symptoms that come with painful foot issues, it is a myth that shoes alone are to blame.

The study, carried out between 2002 and 2008, looked at people who had foot complaints, including bunions and hammer and claw toes and then looked at the incidence of the same conditions in close family members.

"It is something a person will have a predisposition to-but poor footwear will exacerbate it," according to Dr Marian Hannan, the leader of the study.

The researchers suggest this could be due to inheriting a particular shape of foot which predisposes a person to developing the condition.

These new findings highlight the importance of furthering our understanding of what causes greater susceptibility to these foot conditions, as knowing more about the pathway may ultimately lead to early prevention or early treatment."

The main sign of the condition is the big toe pointing towards the other toes, which forces out the bone attached to it - the first metatarsal.

This changes the shape of the foot and can cause swelling, tenderness and pain.

If symptoms get too bad to bear, surgery will be needed to remove the bunion.

Women are also known to have a higher incident of foot-related issues, as they tend to wear fancy shoes. At least now, we can say that our favorite high heels aren't exactly the culprits for all of our foot problems.