What are my Treatment Options?
There are several treatment options for bunions – both surgical and nonsurgical depending on the severity of the deformity.
Non-surgical or conservative treatments
Many nonsurgical treatments for bunions may be effective in reducing pain. Your doctor may recommend a variety of options to try to reduce bunion pain relief. Intended to keep you comfortable but fail to address the root cause of the deformity.
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Widened footwear or shoe inserts and avoiding heels
Wear comfortable shoes, especially if poorly fitting shoes exasperated your pain in your bunion in the first place. Installing bunion pads in your footwear may help to reduce the rubbing of your bunion against the shoe.
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Over the counter medications
Your doctor may recommend some over-the-counter medications may also provide relief from bunion pain, for instance, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium.
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Padding & bracing to relieve pain & pressure
Non-Surgical treatment for bunions may also include using padded shoe inserts, which may help to distribute weight and pressure around the rest of the foot.
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Ice & massage
For days if you’ve been on your feet a lot, it may also help to apply ice to the bunion to help ease the pain.
Traditional Surgical Options
As you explore surgical options, be sure to consult your doctor for best practices in treatment. Understand what the benefits and risks of surgical intervention can be, as well as any possible complications.
Traditional surgical options rely on a mixture of bony cuts to reposition the anatomy and relieve the contracture, releases and repositioning of soft tissue structures (tendons, muscles, ligaments) to pull the toe in to alignment, or fusions of the toe to permanently address the contracture and/or arthritic changes at the joint.
More severe bunion correction may include fusing of the 1st Tarsometatarsal (TMT) joint in order to achieve and maintain correction. Fusion involves removing cartilage (flexible connective tissue found in-between joints) and placing the bones together to heal. Once healed, you may experience less mobility in the region of your foot during motion than pre-surgery.
Scars from bunion surgery will depend on the exact surgical approach determined by your surgeon. In the traditional bunion surgery methods, larger scars may left behind because they may require a four to six-inch incision, extended recovery times, and leave the patient with visible scar.
Your concerns related to surgery are shared by most:
How long will I be in pain?
How long before I return to normal activity?
Will I have a big scar?
Will my toe look normal again?
Bunions start out small but can progressively worsen over time. Fortunately, treatment for bunions has evolved and your bunion can be addressed through multiple nonsurgical and surgical options depending on its severity. Emergent less invasive surgical options may allow for a more rapid return to your favorite activities!
New Option for Bunion Surgery
The new Phantom® MIS procedure consists of three small surgical cuts made in the foot, and the intramedullary nail placed at the point of the bunion. Recovery time may be quicker than traditional surgery because of its minimally invasive nature. Learn more about our Patented technology offering a less invasive and more cosmetically appealing outcome.
