Bunion Pain: When to Consider Surgery

Bunions and bunionettes can look unsightly. The bump that forms on the outside of your big or little toe’s base joint develops when the affected toe is pressed against your other toes. 

Bunions are more common in women than in men, because women tend to wear tighter shoes and high heels.

But bunions aren’t just an aesthetic concern. The deformity can leave you struggling with chronic, and even severe, foot pain. If your discomfort becomes unbearable, you can find your mobility limited. 

You need professional treatment to restore your feet and reclaim your quality of life.

At Town Center Foot & Ankle, our podiatry experts, under the leadership of Stephen “Dr. Ike” Eichelsdorfer, DPM, provide experienced care to people with issues like bunions.

Bunions and foot pain

Not everyone with a bunion experiences immediate foot pain. But the problem can become excruciatingly uncomfortable over time.

You might start to develop painful calluses or corns where your feet rub against your shoes. These can become irritated when you’re active and become painful after too much walking around.

Bunions can also cause inflammation and swelling in your big toe joint or the base of your little toe. If inflammation and swelling become severe, you may lose the full range of motion in that area. Chronic foot pain and mobility problems, as well as arthritis, can result.

Bunion surgery?

Bunion removal surgery can effectively restore the shape and form of your feet, taking pressure off your big toe joint and relieving symptoms of foot pain and discomfort.

For a mild bunion, we may surgically realign your affected toe joint by removing the enlarged portion of your bone and any inflamed or damaged tissue, and then realigning your ligaments and tendons. 

For moderate or severe bunions, we cut the bone to correctly reposition it, before repositioning the surrounding ligaments and tendons.

In cases with severe damage to the affected joint, we can fuse it, allowing your bones to heal together. We can even use a joint replacement implant to reconstruct a badly damaged toe joint.

At Town Center Foot & Ankle, our minimally invasive techniques for bunion surgery can keep your recovery time to a minimum, if you do end up needing surgical intervention.

Evaluating your treatment options

The right treatment plan for your bunions depends on the severity of your condition. We always start with the most conservative treatment options, like custom orthotics, padding or taping, or physical therapy. You may also benefit from cortisone injections or anti-inflammatory medications.

But if your condition doesn’t improve with conservative treatment, you may need surgery to remove the bunion. X-ray imaging helps us determine the right course of action.

We could recommend bunion surgery if conservative treatment options don’t work well enough, and severe foot pain occurs even in flat shoes. We also look at toe deformity problems, and check on your ability to straighten or bend your big toe.

Talk to our podiatry experts at Town Center Foot & Ankle right away about your bunion-related foot pain. We can evaluate your condition and recommend the best course of action. If you do need surgical intervention, you’re in experienced hands with Dr. Ike.

Schedule your appointment online now, or call one of our offices in Kingwood or Atascocita, Texas, to book your visit.