Advanced Treatment for Bunions

A bunion is the enlargement of the big toe joint that causes the big toe to drift towards the second toe. If you imagine a gum ball sized bone enlargement stuffed in your shoe next to the big toe, that’s the type of pain bunion sufferers walk around with daily.

Heredity a Main Cause
Bunions are common and may be caused by many reasons, mainly heredity that causes the bone to develop incorrectly and is exacerbated by tighter shoes. If left untreated, it can become progressively worse and the second toe may overlap the big toe eventually causing secondary pain under the ball of the foot and  hammer toes. Bunions can occur in 15% of the population and women are more commonly affected than men.

New Advancements in Treatment
When treating bunions, there are limited non-surgical choices: changing shoes to reduce rubbing and using a shoe with more space for your toes. New advancements in surgical correction can now be performed with excellent success. The procedure involves going to a surgical center and under sedation removing the bunion and realigning the bone which is held in place with two small screws.

Proven Advanced Technique
Relief comes from a proven advanced technique that I have performed over the last 30 years. It involves removing the bunion enlargement and realigning the bone. Using the Swiss Compression Technique, it takes less than a hour to complete the correction and the benefit of this new procedure is the ability to walk on your foot right away.

Also, you can start early range of motion to help prevent stiffness to the big toe joint. The incision is normally small and can be closed by using a plastic surgery technique that reduces scarring and many times the patient can be back to work and in a shoe very quickly. We take an x-ray with a mini c-arm before and after the surgery and I will send you home with a copy to see the correction.

Follow-Up Care
I will call you at home that evening to make sure you are doing well and review any questions. Patients normally have only mild pain which is controlled by taking pain medication regularly to break the pain cycle. We see you back within the week for follow-up care.

Specialists in Foot and Ankle Problems
Podiatrists specialize in diagnosing and treating foot and ankle problems. Our education is a four year medical education focused on problems affecting the foot and ankle, followed by a surgical residency. Podiatrists need to have expertise in orthopedics, radiology, general problems of the foot, and surgery.

Our practice treats problems of the foot and ankle including Heel Pain, Bunions, Ingrown Nails, Warts, Neuromas, Nail Fungus and Plantar Fasciitis. We use advanced techniques such as Shockwave, Platelet Rich Plasma Injection (PRP) and Laser Nail Fungus treatments.