Medically Reviewed by Dr. Rachel N. Verville
April 10, 2019
When it comes to pain in the feet or ankles, there cannot be a solution that comes too soon. After all, your feet carry you around Frisco all day and get you from Point A to Point B. When they are in pain, your entire body (and day) is affected. It’s no different for Frisco residents who suffer from bunions. A bunion is an unusual bony bump that forms on the big toe joint at the base of your big toe. Bunions are often caused by a foot shape and structure passed down by your parents or grandparents. This shape causes stress to be put on your big toes, and as they grow, they tilt toward the second toes. This tilt causes the joint of the big toe to get larger. But this is not just a frustrating genetic problem. Bunions commonly occur as a result of wearing shoes that are too tight, arthritis, or old foot injuries that put stress on the front of the foot.
Symptoms Of Bunions
Most often, symptoms of bunions include
- A large bump or bulge on the outside of your big toe.
- Swelling and redness on the joint of your big toe.
- Thickened skin on the base of your big toe or front of your foot, often known as corns or calluses.
- Restricted movement of your big toe.
- Persistent pain in and around your big toe when active and even when resting.
Bunion Treatment
There are different ways to treat bunions, and what Dr. Verville will decide to do will be based on your individual needs and symptoms. There are several non-surgical options for bunion treatment, such as:
- Wearing shoes that have more room, specifically in the toe box.
- Using bunion pads that you can pick up from your corner pharmacy.
- Taking medication to relieve the pain.
- Finding shoe inserts that provide extra padding to help evenly distribute the pressure your feet experience on a daily basis.
- Applying ice to the bunion after a long day on your feet.
Depending on your specific needs, and if you do not respond to the non-surgical solutions to bunion treatment, Dr. Verville may recommend surgery. If so, she may suggest:
- Removing the swollen tissue from your big toe.
- Straightening your big toe by removing part of the toe.
- Realigning the long bone between the back part of your foot and your big toe.
- Permanently joining the bones of your affected toe.
Frisco patients should expect their recovery from bunion treatment to take several weeks or months, depending on the severity of their bunion.
If your bunion treatment involves surgery, it is important that you follow all of Dr. Verville’s post-op recommendations in order to prevent a recurrence. You will also need to wear shoes that have been given the thumbs up by Dr. Verville after your surgery and moving forward. This might be a hard thought to accept, but going back to narrower shoes, such as high heels, may not be possible after surgery.
Call Dr. Verville Today
If bunions are plaguing your day in and day out, stop waiting! Call Dr. Verville at RNV Podiatry today! By making an appointment to visit her in her Frisco office, she will be able to fully examine your trouble areas and develop the best solution for your bunion treatment.
You can reach her by calling (214) 385-8822 today!
