According to the Cleveland Clinic, 1/3 of the population will develop bunions at some point throughout their lifetime. It is much more common to see this condition develop in adults, specifically female adults. However, don't let that statistic fool you into believing that juveniles cannot have bunions; they can. While surgery is often needed to eliminate bunions, it is not required in every case. There are quite a few things that you and your podiatrist can do to manage bunions before surgery is recommended. Our team of podiatrists Dr. Sara Bouraee, Dr. Jon Houseworth, Dr. Sun Byun, Dr. Daria Piotrowksi, and Dr. Shruti Vyas, from Hampton Roads Foot and Ankle Specialists in Williamsburg, and Hampton, VA are very familiar with bunions.
What Are Bunions?
Bunions consist of a deformity of the foot involving dislocation of the big toe joint. This often leads to a painful, bony protrusion on the inside of your foot at the base of the big toe. Severe cases may present with the big toe displaced so much that it lays on top of the second toe, a condition known as crossover toe.
Bunions are often mistakenly thought to result from ill-fitting shoes. This will certainly make bunions progress and get worse, but they are generally an inherited trait of susceptible feet and not the initial cause of the formation of a bunion.
Bunions range in severity from a mild annoyance to an excruciating condition and will worsen and get more painful if exposure to improper stresses and friction continues.
How Are Bunions Treated?
Before surgery is recommended, there are conservative measures that you can take to stop or slow down a bunion's progression. Our team can guide you in managing your bunions in Williamsburg, VA. Conservative measures recommended for managing bunions are:
- Wearing shoes that are roomy in the toe area. Cramped toes cause excessive friction and stress on the big toe and will lead to further displacement of the joint, causing your bunion to get worse.
- Shop for new shoes later in the day as our feet slightly swell in the evening after a day of activity. Shoes will fit slightly differently in the morning.
- Measure your foot size each time you buy a pair of new shoes. Our arches tend to fall, not be as supportive and cause our feet to flatten with age.
- Maintain a healthy weight to avoid placing excessive stress on the foot.
- Custom orthotics may help.
- Pain medication and anti-inflammatory drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, may help relieve pain and discomfort.
If you've attempted to treat a bunion on your own and it continues to cause you unbearable pain, surgery will be recommended. This procedure is called a bunionectomy and will remove the bunion, correcting the foot's anatomy.
Contact Us To Schedule a Consultation
Take the first step towards treating bunions in Williamsburg, and Hampton, VA by making an appointment with one of our podiatrists Dr. Sara Bouraee, Dr. Jon Houseworth, Dr. Sun Byun, Dr. Daria Piotrowksi, and Dr. Shruti Vyas, by calling our Williamsburg location at (757) 220-3311 or our Hampton office at (757) 224-7605.