Bunions

Bunions don’t get better with time, but with the right care, you don’t have to suffer from foot pain. At Specialized Foot and Ankle Care in Carteret, Perth Amboy, and Edison, New Jersey, podiatrists Ankur Bahri, DPM, and Sandeep Sandhu, DPM, provide comprehensive care for bunions, offering everything from conservative treatments to state-of-the-art surgical interventions to relieve foot pain and improve function. Call the office near you today or schedule an appointment online for professional treatment of your bunions.

What are bunions?

Bunions are a foot deformity that involves the bony structure that forms at the large joint at the base of the big toe. This bump develops when the bone in the big toe shifts towards the second toe, causing the long bone in the front part of the foot to move toward the ankle.

These structural changes misalign the joint, causing it to bulge and form a bony bump.

The change in the position of the bones gets gradually worse, making the bump grow larger, resulting in pain and inflammation.

Why do I have bunions?

There’s no single cause of bunions, and your foot deformity might develop from a combination of factors. Risk factors include an inherited foot structure, excess pressure on the toe joint, and shoe choice.

Standing for extended periods can put too much pressure on the joint at the big toe, causing the bones to shift. Shoes with a high heel or narrow toe box can squeeze the toes and might also change the bones’ alignment.

Activities and shoes don’t cause bunions, but they could contribute to the change in bone alignment in people born with a faulty foot structure.

When should I see a foot and ankle specialist for bunions?

You should consult the foot and ankle experts at Specialized Foot and Ankle Care if you have or think you have a bunion.

The team at Specialized Foot and Ankle Care reviews your symptoms and medical history and examines your feet. They then order imaging studies to confirm a diagnosis and determine how severe the deformity is.

How are bunions treated?

How your bunions are treated will depend on how severe they are. However, the Specialized Foot and Ankle Care team first takes a conservative approach. Initial care can include:

• Change in shoewear
• Activity changes
• Custom-made orthotics (prescription shoe inserts)
• Icing the bunion
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Cortisone injections

If conservative treatments fail or pain affects your quality of life, the team at Specialized Foot and Ankle Care might recommend bunion surgery to correct the deformity. The team uses advanced surgical techniques, including minimally invasive surgeries like Lapiplasty® 3D bunion correction, which fixes the misalignment and stabilizes the joint with titanium plates.

At Specialized Foot & Ankle Care, Dr. Sandhu or Dr. Bahari treat patients for bunions, diabetic foot care, athlete foot, sports injuries, heel pain, and more. We are a foot and ankle specialist practice located in New Jersey. Call us to book your appointment today.