Bunions can be unsightly and cause a great deal of pain. In some cases, you may not be able to wear shoes comfortably. As you may know, foot problems can cause a domino effect of knee and back problems. At Pivotal Foot and Ankle Surgeons, serving Independence, Kansas City, and St. Joseph, MO, Dr. Russell Grimes, Dr. Ross Bartley, and Dr. Tyler Sten can prevent complications, possibly with conservative measures or bunion surgery.
Understanding Bunions and Their Cause
A bunion is a bony protrusion at the base of your big toe caused by the bones becoming out of place. You may notice a bump, and the area may swell, look red, or feel sore. Bunions can even cause a reduction in the movement in that toe joint. Sometimes, pain occurs as well as corns or calluses.
Some people develop bunions because of an inherited foot shape and structure. If you put stress on that joint regularly or had an injury that affected it, you're also at risk. This issue could stem from an issue you had since birth. Wearing high-heeled shoes or poorly fitting shoes or having rheumatoid arthritis also increases your likelihood.
Treating a Bunion
You may be able to treat a bunion with conservative measures. Wearing pads on the area, wearing shoe inserts, and changing your shoes might be enough to control your pain and other symptoms.
Though you may not like the appearance of the bunion, we generally won't recommend bunion surgery to correct it as a cosmetic issue only. Therefore, we tend to recommend surgery at one of our practices, serving Independence, Kansas City, and St. Joseph, MO, in cases where conservative measures don't adequately control your symptoms.
We'd like to note that surgery to correct bunions isn’t the same in all cases. We can take multiple approaches to address the concern, but it depends on your particular situation.
For instance, your treatment may require us to remove the swollen tissue surrounding the joint. We may also remove part of the bone in an effort to straighten your big toe. Sometimes, the treatment consists of realigning at least one bone to correct the positioning of your toe joint. The most effective option for you might be for a surgeon from our practice to join the bones together to correct the misalignment.
Pivotal Foot and Ankle Surgeons, serving Independence, Kansas City, and St. Joseph, MO, has podiatric surgeons to assist, including Dr. Grimes, Dr. Bartley, and Dr. Sten, if you should happen to have a bunion. We only recommend bunion surgery when it's completely necessary, rather than for aesthetic reasons.