As owner and founder of East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates in Allentown, Easton and Reading, Pennsylvania, Dr. Adam Teichman knows a thing or two about feet including bunions and how to prevent them. Here, he shares his expertise on this uncomfortable and often unsightly condition.
Bunions are large bumps that can cause pain in the foot. They are really a progressive disorder of the foot. They begin with a leaning of the big toe, diagonally changing the angle of the toe over years and slowly producing the characteristic bump, which continues to become increasingly prominent. In most cases the symptoms of bunions appear in later stages in life, although some people will never experience any symptoms at all, despite the appearance of a bump.
Bunions are most often caused by an inherited foot type, leading to a mechanical deficit in the foot. Symptoms most often occur when wearing shoes with a tight toe box, such as women who wear high heels. Symptoms of the bunion are pain or soreness around the big toe, inflammation and redness, a burning sensation and sometimes numbness.
Other conditions associated with bunions include a callous of the big toe, sores between the toes, ingrown toenails and restricted motion of the toes.
Diagnosis of Bunions
Unfortunately, bunions are here to stay: They will never go away on their own and will usually get worse over time. You can ask Dr. Adam Teichman and his staff to take x-rays to determine the degree of the deformity, and after that he can develop a treatment plan that is suited to your own particular needs.
Treatment sometimes involves observing the bunion to watch its progression and see what shape it is taking. If the bunion deformity is advancing (thereby reducing your chances of irreversible damage to the joint), then in almost all cases, surgical intervention will be needed.
Some conservative measures to help control the symptoms of a bunion are changes in shoe gear; wearing some sort of orthotic padding in your shoe; taking medication such as NSAIDs, or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medications; activity modification; icing; steroidal injection therapy and custom-made foot orthotic devices. When the pain of a bunion interferes with daily activities, then it’s time to look into surgical options.
Surgical Intervention
Recent advances in surgical techniques have led to a high success rate in treating bunions. Surgical procedures to correct bunions include removal of the bump, corrective changes in the bony structure of the foot, as well as soft tissue changes using state-of-the-art surgical techniques. These measures aim to eliminate pain, making a bunion just a bad memory.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
