Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the United States is limited by painful bunions. To find long-term relief of bunion pain, the skilled, fellowship-trained surgeons at Premier Orthopedic Specialists of Tulsa offer both conservative and surgical solutions in-office. They design individual care plans to relieve symptoms of bunions and repair deformities in your big toe joint. To find out if you’re a candidate for surgery to treat bunions, call the office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, today or book a consultation online.
Bunions are bumps that form on the inner border of the foot near the base of your big toe. Some bunions are large enough to cause pain and even lead to deformities in the foot.
You may be at increased risk for bunions because of inherited structural issues in your feet, specifically metatarsus primus varus.
This condition causes the long bone of the big toe to rotate and angle away from the bone of the second toe. The rotation causes the head of the bone to move outward, which creates a painful bunion on the side of your foot.
Another factor that contributes to bunion pain is ill-fitting shoes. If you often wear high heels or shoes that are too tight, they can rub against the skin of the bunion and cause persistent inflammation and pain.
You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Premier Orthopedic Specialists of Tulsa if you have persistent pain in your foot or a noticeable bulge in the joint of your big toe. Other symptoms of bunions can include:
Your provider physically examines your foot and toes to confirm your pain relates to a bunion. They may also request X-rays to evaluate the severity of the bend in your toe joint, so they can create a treatment plan for long-lasting pain relief.
For mild bunions, your provider at Premier Orthopedic Specialists of Tulsa may initially suggest changes to your footwear to reduce pressure on your toes. You may also benefit from the use of extra padding or shoe inserts that prevent friction on the sides of your feet.
To ease bunion pain, you can use over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and pain relievers. Ice packs can also help reduce swelling and redness in your foot and toes.
When conservative therapies aren’t enough to treat bunion pain, you may need surgery. The skilled surgeons at Premier Orthopedic Specialists of Tulsa use minimally invasive surgical techniques to remove swollen tissue from around the joint of your big toe.
Your surgeon can also straighten your toe by removing damaged bones or fusing several bones together to stabilize your foot.
Following surgery, you may need several weeks to recover fully, but you can expect to start walking soon after your procedure. Your provider can work with you on a prevention plan to lower your risk for additional bunions.
To schedule a diagnostic evaluation of bunions, call Premier Orthopedic Specialists of Tulsa today or book a consultation online.
