BackThe Pain of Bunions Can Be Treated
Article submitted by Howard Imanuel of The Podiatry Center. He can be reached at 239-768-2323 or visit his website at www.PodiatryCenter.com.
Foot pain of any sort can be as simple as irritating or as serious as debilitating. In all cases, it is recommended that a podiatrist be consulted whenever a mysterious pain occurs. Even blisters can become infected and deserve cautious care.
A bunion is a bump on the inner side of the foot, near the base of the big toe caused by the toes poor alignment. The condition, which often runs in families, worsens over time leading to pain, corns, lesions and difficulty walking.
A person with bunions generally must give up fashionable shoes and may begin walking in an exaggerated toe-turned-out manner to ease the pain. But without treatment, it can become disabling.
While the pain and swelling of bunions can be temporarily treated and special wide soft shoes and sandals or pads may ease the discomfort, the only way to eliminate a bunion is by surgical removal known as a bunionectomy.
At the Podiatry Center, We offer a variety of techniques depending on the angle of the bones in the bunion and the extent of the deformity. While the simplest procedure involves shaving the bump and repairing the soft tissue in the big toe joint, not many can be properly corrected in this manner.
The most common technique, which is generally handled as an outpatient procedure, involves precise bone cuts in realigning the bones of the big toe. Another procedure, which also does not require an overnight stay, removes a wedge-shaped piece of bone from the metatarsal, decreasing the toe's angle of deviation. In both procedures, the bones are repositioned and are usually stabilized with small pins or screws which are implanted in the bone Overly tight ligaments and tendons may also need to be released and repositioned.
The surgeries mentioned here are relatively simple and usually takes less than an hour in the operating room. The bones and soft tissues take 6 to 8 weeks to completely heal. Caution must be taken during the recovery period by keeping weight off the foot by use of a surgical shoe, and in some cases, with a cast.
When a Patient has bunions on both feet the choice must be made to either have both feet surgically repaired at the same time, or one at a time. While the former involves less overall time for recovery, the latter is far more practical since it allows the patient far more mobility and self-sufficiency after the procedure.
After surgery and recovery, the patient may be fitted with orthotics to maintain stable, properly aligned feet. Without this treatment, the underlying cause of the bunion continues to cause problems and the bunion can recur. However, if properly fitted, a patient can go back to wearing attractive shoes instead of those which were strictly for comfort.