A tall guy named Paul once had a painful lump that developed at the base of his big toe. He wondered how this could happen and what he could do about it? His mother and grandmother had similar problems with their big toes too. Granny just decided to live with it and cut a hole in the side of her shoe. His mom had surgery and could wear normal shoes and had less pain.
This is the typical story of those afflicted with bunions. They are most commonly hereditary but can also be caused by arthritic conditions like RA, flatfeet, and many times they happen for no apparent reason. Most times they progress and get larger as the years go by. They often cause pain where the shoe rubs on the bony prominence or when the big toe starts pushing on the neighboring toes. Surprisingly, some people with very large bunions have no pain by wearing increasingly wider shoes. There are even the dreaded “orthopedic shoes” to help accommodate the deformity. Sorry ladies, those fashionable high heels will only aggravate the bunion pain. Pads and custom orthotics may provide some conservative relief as well.
A similar condition can happen on the opposite side of the foot at the base of the pinky toe. These are called tailor’s bunions or bunionettes. Contrary to what most people think, a bunion is not a growth of new bone. It is actually a malalignment of the metatarsal bone behind the big toe.
So, what else can be done to treat bunions? The only permanent way to correct a bunion requires surgery. Your friendly podiatrist can take x-rays and give you a better idea what type of surgery and recovery may be involved if you wish to pursue that. It may require wearing a special boot for several weeks for smaller bunions or possibly a cast for larger bunions. If you are considering surgery, it is generally best not to wait until the bunion is severe or has caused a hammer toe of the next toe over as that requires additional surgery and recovery. Check out our dropdown on bunions under Podiatry Services for more info or give us a call to set up a consultation.
If you have questions or concerns about your foot or ankle pain we invite you to contact our Colorado Springs office for an appointment.
To schedule an appointment call: 719-533-0200
Helping Patients with Bunions and other Foot Problems | Colorado Springs | Podiatrist
Bunion Specialist
Judd Davis, DPM with A New Step Foot & Ankle Clinics is a compassionate podiatrist (foot and ankle doctor) who helps patients with surgical treatment of Bunions and other foot problems. A New Step Foot & Ankle Clinics is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
