If I have a bunion, do I automatically need surgery?

Non-Surgical and Surgical Bunion Treatment Options Our Idaho Foot Doctors Offer

Bunions, or hallux abducto valgus, are bony bumps that form on top of the joint at the base of your big toe. Although they’re often unsightly, they’re not always painful, and many don’t require medical care. However, the condition won’t resolve itself and can, in many cases, result in increasingly unpleasant symptoms. Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle is committed to keeping your feet happy and happy. Read more to learn about the different strategies our Caldwell podiatrists use to treat bunions to provide the best solution for your condition.

Understanding Bunion Causes and Symptoms

Bunions usually form when the bones near the front of your feet are slowly pushed out of place. This change in the anatomy can sometimes pull the tip of the big toe inward, causing it to point inward toward the second toe rather than straight on. If and when the big toe twists too far, the joint at its base—the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint—misaligns, protruding at an unusual and uncomfortable angle and forming a bony bump on the side of your foot.

Common Bunion Causes

This misalignment is due to a combination of different risk factors, including your individual bone structure and genetics. Putting too much pressure on your MTP joint—by wearing narrow shoes, or spending a lot of time on your feet, for example—might also increase your chances of developing a bunion. Some people, including those with arthritis, are also more likely to be diagnosed with bunions.

Bunion Symptoms to Watch For

The most obvious symptom of a bunion is a noticeable growth near the base of your big toe. However, bunions can cause other symptoms, too, including but not limited to:

Pain

Stiffness in the big toe

Noticeable swelling

Redness

Rigidity, or an inability to move the affected toe

An untreated bunion might also increase your risk of developing conditions like corns, calluses, and hammer toe.

When to Schedule a Podiatry Examination For a Bunion

Bunions don’t always require any medical treatment. However, you may need to see a podiatrist if your bunion is painful, swollen, or making it difficult to walk. It’s also worth remembering that bunions are a progressive disorder and don’t go away on their own—without treatment, they might worsen over time, causing pain and affecting your mobility.

Can Bunions be Treated Without Surgery? Here’s What We Often Recommend at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle

Our Caldwell and Meridian podiatrists have decades of experience treating bunions, and provide thorough individualized care for your condition. Here are some of our recommendations.

Non-Surgical Treatment

You may not need bunion surgery if your protrusion isn’t painful and doesn’t interfere with your daily routine. Many of our time-tested non-surgical options involve a combination of:

Lifestyle modifications such as wearing better-fitting shoes, doing different foot exercises and stretches, and taking frequent breaks from strenuous physical activity.
Support footwear and custom orthotics, which can typically reduce pain, irritation, and swelling around the bunion.
Non-surgical pain management solutions, such as anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, or the use of a removable splint to prevent inflammation.

Surgical Treatment

If your bunion-related symptoms are severe, or you don’t get the relief you need from non-surgical treatment, we may advise surgery. A typical bunion surgery involves:

Removing swollen tissue from the MTP joint
Taking out a small section of bone to help straighten your big toe
Correcting the alignment of the big toe joint
Rejoining all of your bones to their natural position, or as close to it as possible

Bunion surgery is a relatively simple procedure that can be performed in our office. While you may need to take it easy for a few weeks after your procedure—with average recovery times ranging between several weeks and several months—our innovative approach is much better at preventing recurrence than other methods.