If you have an annoying foot problem, the temptation might be to quickly choose the surgery option - especially if you're in a great deal of pain. But surgery is hardly the best course of action for everyone, according to Loan Lam, a Yale-trained podiatric surgeon in Marco, Fla.

"Every person, every patient is different," Lam says. "Not everyone needs surgery. You have to take the person as a whole," including the patient's social history, financial condition, personality and medical history. (Read more about Don't Rush Into Foot Surgery)

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Before assuming that surgery is needed, you might want to first seek aid from podiatric inserts, or orthotics, in your shoes, many experts say.

"Shoes are made before the patient comes into the store, so it's very difficult to make a shoe specific for a patient, but a prescription orthotic is made specific for a patient," says Dr. Jeffrey Agricola, an Indiana podiatrist. (Read more about Orthotics Can Solve Foot Problems)

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The latest shoe fashions from the runways of Milan, London and New York perch a woman so precariously that she's in constant danger of losing her balance and taking a nasty and embarrassing fall. Not to mention the fact that her feet and toes, painfully flexed by the shoes for hours on end, could become permanently damaged.

The new shoe styles have the heels of a woman's feet high off the floor, as with traditional high heels - but there's no spike or pillar to support the heel. Instead, the woman balances on her toes and balls of her feet. (Read more about New Shoe Fashions a Podiatrist's Nightmare)

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Women in Britain are joining those in America in a race for cosmetic surgery on the lowest part of their lower extremities.

As today's women's shoe fashions - even those for winter - gravitate inexorably toward exposing ever more of the feet and toes, women with pedal anatomy considered to be imperfect are becoming more and more embarrassed. Consequently, they are flocking to cosmetic surgeons for corrective work on "cankles," imperfect "toe cascades" and hammertoes. (Read more about Women Looking to Sculpt Ankles and Toes)

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Obesity can lead to foot amputations, warns a podiatry organization in Australia.

This is "particularly [true of] those patients who have diabetes, because they can lose feeling in their feet and sustain injuries, which can get infected and sometimes require amputation," said Brenden Brown, vice president of the Australasian Podiatry Council. And, he said, most people are completely unaware of the feet-fat connection. (Read more about Healthy Feet Incompatible With Fat)

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A patented bandage with tiny batteries that run micro-currents through a wound to kill bacteria may hold promise for healing the stubborn foot ulcers that plague so many diabetics.

"This electrical activity kills bacteria, keeps the wound clean and, in the studies we've had so far, has shown that this stimulates the wounds to heal," said Jeffry Skiba, president and CEO of Vomaris Innovations, based in Chandler, Ariz. (Read more about "Electric" Foot Bandage May Help Diabetics)

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A recent issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource covers foot problems that are common in women, particularly as they age. Years of frequent high heal wear can cause permanent damage to tendons in the heel and shoes that are too tight can cause problems. Some of these suggestions address common concerns about feet and what to do for relief.

Blisters are caused by the friction of shoes against the skin. Blisters should not be ruptured, and applying a moleskin or bandage helps.

Bunions are misaligned big toe joints where the big toe slants toward the second toe. This can cause the joints to become swollen and tender, especially if aggravated by tight shoes. Wearing wider shoes, as well as cushioning pads or shoe inserts, can help. (Read more about Relief for Common Foot Problems)

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According to research in the November issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice, more than six out of ten people with diabetes are walking around in the wrong sized shoe, which could potentially cause serious foot problems. An ulceration of the foot can have serious implications for patients, such as impaired quality of life, increased amputation risk, and elevated death rates. The World Health Organization has stated that the number of people suffering from diabetes could double to 366 million by 2030 and 80 percent of diabetic foot amputations could be prevented.

Researchers studied a hundred patients, aged 24 to 89, who volunteered to participate in a shoe-size study carried out at a general diabetic clinic. Patients who were attending foot specialist clinics and those who had problems standing or were wearing special footwear were excluded from the study. The results showed that 63 percent of patients were wearing the wrong sized shoes. Approximately 45 percent were wearing the wrong width fitting, and the majority had shoes that were too narrow. (Read more about More Than Half of Diabetics Endanger Themselves by Wearing The Wrong Shoe Size)

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The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons have heard all the myths about foot care. However, myths concerning health can have serious consequences if doctors aren't consulted to set the facts straight. Here are five podiatry myths that numerous patients have reported, and the truth behind them.

"Cutting a V notch into a toenail will relieve the pain of ingrown toenails." The reality of this myth is that cutting the nail does not affect the angle of the toenail growth. The nail will continue to grown downward into the skin and cutting a "V" may cause more problems and pain.

"If I can walk on my foot or ankle, it must not be broken." The truth is that it's very possible to walk on a broken foot or ankle but it depends on the severity of the injury and the individual threshold for pain. Continuing to walk on it can cause further damage. (Read more about Five Foot Care Myths)

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Foot and Ankle Surgeons believe that routine self examinations of the feet are critical to finding skin cancer early, when it is easiest to treat. Close to half of the people who learn they have melanoma of the foot die within five years because cancer had already spread to other parts of the body at the time of diagnosis.

It is estimated that nearly 60,000 people will learn they have melanoma this year. It is not known how of many of these cases involve the foot. More than 8,000 patients will die. However, if melanoma is detected during early stages, 92 percent of patients are alive after 5 years. (Read more about Routine Foot Self Exams Can Detect Melanoma)

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