Bunions

Bunions might cause minimal discomfort when small, but larger ones can be painful enough to prevent you from walking. The highly skilled team at Montgomery Podiatry in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, offers advanced treatments for bunions, including conservative therapies and minimally invasive surgery. With their help, you can regain mobility and relieve foot pain. Discover the right treatment for your bunions by calling Montgomery Podiatry or booking an appointment online today.

What are bunions?

Bunions are hard, painful swellings on the joint at the base of your big toe. They begin as a bony lump at the side of the toe that gradually gets more prominent. Inflammation, swelling, redness, and tenderness develop, and the skin often becomes stretched and shiny.

As bunions increase in size, they become more painful. They press against the sides of your footwear, worsening inflammation and tenderness. The weight of your body pressing down on a large bunion may be so painful that it’s hard to walk.

Why would I have bunions?

Bunions form when the top of your big toe points inward too much. That forces the joint outward, creating a bony lump at the side of your foot. You’re more likely to develop bunions if you have risk factors such as:

• A family history of bunions
• Arthritis
• Abnormal foot structure
• Foot injuries
• Neuromuscular conditions
• Flat feet
• Older age

Footwear can also be a risk factor. Wearing tight shoes or ones with pointed toes can force the big toe inward. High-heeled shoes push your toes into an unnatural position and put the big toe joint under stress, increasing your likelihood of having bunions.

How are bunions treated?

Several conservative treatments can relieve bunion pressure and pain. Options include:

• Heat and ice
• Protective padding
• Wearing wide-fitting shoes
• Custom-fitted orthotics (shoe inserts)
• Physical therapy
• Nighttime splints
• Corn and callus removal

Many patients find these treatments relieve pain and inflammation, and some stop the bunion from getting bigger.

Montgomery Podiatry’s forward-thinking team also provides regenerative medicine solutions for other foot problems, such as plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, and Achilles tendonitis. They use amniotic injections containing abundant substances that promote healthy tissue regeneration, aiding the body in healing with minimal downtime.

Do I need bunion surgery?

If your bunion is small or only recently formed, you may be happy with the results of conservative treatments. However, larger, more painful bunions could require surgery.

Bunion surgery could involve several different approaches depending on what your podiatrist recommends. For example, they might remove the inflamed tissue and part of the toe bone or perform a bunionectomy.

During a bunionectomy, your podiatrist straightens your toe, sometimes breaking the bones and repositioning them. They also tighten ligaments that are too loose and loosen any that are too tight. That helps support the toe’s new alignment. In some cases, your podiatrist fuses the bones to ensure they stay in position.

If you have a bunion, get prompt treatment by calling Montgomery Podiatry or requesting an appointment online today.