A bunion is a condition in which an imbalance in the foot causes the big toe to get pulled into the toes next to it instead of remaining straight. The result is that the base of the big toe juts out, forming a bump. This condition can be very painful and make walking and wearing shoes difficult.
At Intermountain Foot & Ankle Associates in Colorado Springs, Colorado, board-certified podiatrist Kerry Berg, DPM, offers conservative and minimally invasive bunion therapies. In this blog, she explains how concervative therapies can help and when surgery may be necessary.
When it comes to treating bunions, Dr. Berg usually considers conservative measures first. She begins by assessing the severity of your bunion and looking for other related disorders, such as hammertoe or arthritis. She also takes into consideration your age and overall health before developing a treatment plan.
Among the parts of your plan, she may recommend any of the following:
It’s important to note that, while these treatments have the potential to relieve discomfort, only surgery can correct the problem. If your pain persists or if you have a significant deformity, Dr. Berg may recommend surgery.
Foot surgery is rarely the first treatment option, but, sometimes, it can be the best remedy. There are many types of bunions surgeries, and after evaluating your bunion, Dr. Berg will recommend the best approach to your situation.
Surgery to correct a bunion is called a bunionectomy. And no matter the type of surgery, the basic goal is to straighten the big toe and keep the problem from recurring.
These surgeries used to be very painful and take a long time to heal, but modern, minimally invasive approaches have minimized how much cutting there needs to be and reduced the healing time.
By using small cuts, this can cause less damage to the soft tissues. And as a result, the surgery can cause less swelling and pain. Most patients can bear weight soon after their surgery, and they can usually get back to their normal activities quicker.
If you have a moderate to severe bunion, Dr. Berg may recommend a lapidus bunionectomy. This surgical approach involves attaching the first metatarsal bone to the medial cuneiform bone using a plate and screws in order to correct and stabilize the area of the bunion.
The surgery entails removing a tiny wedge of bone at the base of the metatarsal to allow for bunion reduction and fusing the joint at the base of the metatarsal to help prevent the deformity from returning.
If you have a painful or bothersome bunion, the team at Intermountain Foot & Ankle Associates can help you get relief. To learn more, call 719-873-8973 or book an appointment online today.
