Foot Bunions Treatment
A bunion is a progressive condition whereby the great toe joint is out of alignment and a bump forms on the inner aspect of the toe. The big toe starts to lean in towards the second toe and in advanced cases can cause either an underlapping or overlapping deformity. As the deformity progresses painful symptoms develop and there can be difficulty fitting into shoes. Non-surgical and surgical options do exist for treatment but surgery is the only way to definitively remove the bunion.
Non-surgical options include shoe modification (wider shoes), padding, splinting, and orthotics.
If conservative treatment doesn’t help then surgical correction can be performed.
A bunion is more complex than a bump on the side of the big toe. There is actually deformity present in the foot that needs to be fixed.
There is an older procedure called a “Silver Bunionectomy”. With this procedure, the bump is just shaved off. Predictably with these procedures the bunion comes back.
To be more definitive and reduce the likelihood of recurrence, the underlying deformity needs to be corrected. There are many ways to achieve this and the choice of procedure is dictated by examination of the foot, whether other deformities are present or not, and x-ray findings.
Here is an example of a bunion correction performed by Dr. Nodelman:
It is important to be evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist and have imaging to decide on the best course of action whether this is conservative or surgical treatment.