Bunions are painful lumps on your foot that form from misaligned bones in your big toe. If you have a bunion, the podiatrists at Woodlands Hand To Shoulder Foot and Ankle Center can help. Their team uses conservative measures to relieve pain and swelling and performs surgery to treat severe bunions. To find the best approach to relieving your bunion pain, call one of the offices in Shenandoah, Sugarland, or Humble, Texas, or book an appointment online today.
A bunion is a hard, bony bump on the inside of your big toe developing when there's uneven weight distribution on the toe joint.
Over time, the joint becomes unstable, pushing against the other bones in your foot and altering their angles—eventually, the misaligned bones form a hard bump on the side of your toe.
The bunion is likely to get larger over time and increasingly painful. The lump rubs against the inside of your shoes, adding to the pain and making the skin on your bunion red and sore. Your skin might also develop a tight, shiny appearance as the bunion gets larger.
Eventually, an untreated bunion can become so painful you're unable to walk very far, and you might have difficulty putting your shoes on.
Common causes of bunions include:
Bunions are far more common in women than men, with over 50% of women in the United States developing bunions at some time in their lives. The most likely reason is women’s shoes – high heels that push the toes forward and are too narrow, crush the toes.
Simple therapies that can relieve bunion pain include:
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain medication can also help to ease the discomfort and reduce swelling.
If you have large, painful bunions that don't improve with conservative therapies, the Woodlands Hand To Shoulder Foot and Ankle Center team offers additional treatments.
They can inject your bunion with cortisone, a steroid medication with powerful anti-inflammatory properties to reduce swelling and pain. For the most severe or non-responsive bunions, surgery (bunionectomy) might be necessary.
Your foot and ankle surgeon might perform various procedures depending on your needs. They can straighten the foot and your big toe, extract swollen tissue from around the joint, remove or smooth down the bunion, or fuse your big toe joints to stabilize them.
The sooner you get treatment for bunions, the less likely you are to need surgery. For quick, expert assessment and treatment of bunions, call Woodlands Hand To Shoulder Foot and Ankle Center or book an appointment online today.
