What’s the best way to prevent my bunions from becoming more of a problem?

Why You Should See an Idaho Bunion Podiatrist Before These Bony Bumps Get Any Worse

Although bunions can be unsightly, many of these protrusions aren’t very serious. However, as a progressive deformity, they won’t go away, either. If left untreated, even bunions that are pain-free now could get worse with time.

You don’t have to take your chances with your feet. Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle’s team of experienced Meridian and Caldwell bunion podiatrists have spent years helping members of our community in the Treasure Valley keep their feet happy and healthy. Read on to learn what you can do to keep bunion symptoms under control, or contact us today to schedule your first appointment.

Understanding Bunions

Hallux valgus is the medical term for bunions—bony bumps that form on the inside of your metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint at the base of your big toe. Vital to movement, the MTP helps distribute your body weight, expands your range of motion, and keeps different parts of the feet connected to one another.

However, gradual but constant pressure pushes your foot bones out of alignment, tilting the big toe inward and toward your other toes. This shifts the MTP joint outward, causing a bunion.

Most Common Causes of Bunions

Podiatrists and other medical professionals know how bunions affect the bones, but most experts believe there’s not a single explanation for why they happen. Instead, your chances of developing a bunion are probably dependent on many different risk factors, such as:

Your family health history

Your unique bone structure

How often you move

What type of shoes you wear

Even if the science on bunions isn’t exact, enough researchers have studied these protrusions to identify distinct patterns. So, even though anyone can get a bunion, some people seem much more likely to develop bunions than others. For instance, biological women are diagnosed with bunions at a much higher rate than biological men, as are athletes and people with a genetic predisposition to this condition. The Cleveland Clinic states about one-third of Americans have bunions.

Why Your Bunions Might Be Getting Worse

If a bunion is ignored long-term, it can damage both the affected MTP joint and surrounding tracts of bones, tendons, and ligaments. Symptoms often appear with little warning or become more intense over time, affecting how you stand and walk. Some bunions even raise your risk of developing secondary conditions, which can be as mild as a callus or as serious as arthritis.

How a Caldwell Podiatrist Could Help You Beat Bunions

Unfortunately, once a bunion starts to form, the bones cannot be shifted back into place to stop its progression without surgery. In more severe cases, an advanced surgical procedure like the lapiplasty bunionectomy we offer at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle may be recommended to properly fix the misalignment.

However, our experienced bunion foot doctors would rather step in earlier to provide you with more non-invasive techniques to help reduce painful symptoms and adjust structural deficiencies to prevent your bunion from getting worse.

After a thorough examination and a consultation about your activity level and lifestyle, we’ll design a customized treatment plan that fits your short-term needs and long-term goals. This holistic approach includes many options:

Managing symptoms. The intent is to lessen swelling and irritation by applying ice packs more frequently, using foot massage and stretching techniques, and taking anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin when necessary.
Lifestyle modifications. Adjusting your level of activity, choosing a more healthful diet, and changing to specialized footwear might also be helpful.
Custom orthotics. Large, painful bunions can make finding the right shoes downright difficult. Another solution our Idaho bunion podiatrists offer might be custom orthotics, a type of prescription-grade footwear built specifically for your feet and clinical needs.
Therapy. Our team can also help you manage your symptoms at the clinic and at home through a combination of medication-based therapy, physical therapy, and removable splinting.

If surgery is truly the only remedy to keep your bunion from getting worse, trust the entire surgical team at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle to offer you exceptional care before, during, and after your procedure.