Women have long had a love-hate relationship with high heels. No matter how much they hurt, they won't give them up. But now a local foot doctor is offering a new solution that takes the agony out of wearing heels.
This is the area where she was having a lot of discomfort, a lot of pain, said podiatrist Mikhail Burakovskiy.
The cause of Julia Hay's pain? High heeled boots and high-heeled shoes.
It was bad, said Julia. It took me awhile once I took my shoe off that I could walk. I would usually have to sit down for 15 minutes and just wait and then I could start walking again.
Pain or no pain, Julia didn't want to have to give up her high heels. Burakovskiy, with the Advanced Foot and Ankle Clinic, realized he was fighting a losing battle with his patients.
No matter how I'm going to try to persuade them, they're still going to do it. So I was looking for a solution to solve that problem, said Burakovskiy.
The solution is an injection called a foot pillow that works like an internal orthotic.
What we do is inject a polylactic acid in the ball of the foot to create an extra padding, said Burakovskiy.
It's the same filler used for the face.
It feels nice and cushy, said Julia.
It takes two-to-three weeks to achieve the full effect, but one week later, Julia is already back in her high-heeled boots.
I won't take them off. Oh, no please do. You don't want to do that, said Julia.
Dancer Natalya Von Verden's feet take a beating on the dance floor.
A lot of times if you go out, party, you're on your feet for 4 or 5 hours and at the end of the night your feet feel tired and uncomfortable, said Natalya. Sometimes you get the burning sensation, so I just figured make my life easier.
And now her feet no longer pay the price.
Oh, quite a difference. It's comfortable. You don't get the same sensation. It's amazing, said Natalya.
The injections can last about a year for most patients.
The cost is $1,500 for one foot, $2,500 for the pair. Both Julia and Natalya only required injections in one foot. CLICK HEREfor more information.
