A bunion is a bony bump grown on the big toe. This is a bone deformity or a medical condition like arthritis caused due to the immense pressure on the toe joint. Some bunions will not be painful, while others cause swelling and pain around the joint. Usually, the pain is felt on the bottom of the foot or the big toe joint. They are common, but in some people, they may be genetic.
They disturb your movements causing unnecessary pain and discomfort. You will be unable to bend your toe because they rub over your footwear. Your big toe joint swells and becomes reddish. You will notice corns or calluses in your toe. Sometimes the pain may reach its peak, making it difficult to stand or walk. Thereby, limiting your everyday activities and affecting your quality of life.
If ignored or untreated, they become worse and may even damage your feet. Treating them early could reduce the risks of any further infection. Researches say that up to one-third of the American population develops bunions.
If you have a bunion, then you need to consider visiting a reputed and experienced Irvine podiatrist such as Dr. Sima Sultani. She is popular for offering treatments without surgeries. She has 20 plus years of experience in treating any kind of foot trauma including bunions, joints, hammertoes, ankle sprains, and more. Treatment processes at the Irvine clinic include Bunion Surgery, Toenail Laser Treatment, Stem Cell Therapy, and Custom Orthotics.
Long Term Effects
If you neglect treatment for some reason, you are just doing more harm than anything good. So read on to know how they affect in the long term, what could happen if they are untreated, and how to prevent these from reoccurring. Here is the list of the following:
- Increased Pain
- Skin becomes thick and hard whereas nerves cause numbness and damage.
- Delaying treatment increases the pain to become more bothersome over time.
- Wearing ill-fitted shoes in pain makes it quite harder even to perform your routine.
- Physical deformity
- More deformation and pain increase with time
- You can notice bunions in four different stages.
- In the first stage, your big toe becomes mild and turns slightly to the second toe.
- In the second stage, the bunion forcefully makes big toe alignment out of order until it is pressed against the next toe.
- In the third stage, when bony protuberance occurs prominently, the big toe rotation on its axis is seen.
- In the fourth stage, you will notice that your joint at the big toe is either completely or partially dislocated by overlapping on the second toe.
- Impairment
- Generally, causes impaired stability and movement.
- You will be unsteady to keep your body weight on your toe.
- You will put off your daily activities.
- In the case of aged ones, because of their weak bone, there will be a nasty fall that leads to serious health issues.
- Development of related complications
- Sometimes, the wrongly aligned big toe joint develops other foot-related disorders such as hammertoe, osteoarthritis, and most commonly the ingrown toenails.
- Ingrown toenails are bulged rash out on either side of your toenail.
- What Causes Ingrown toenails along with bunions
- Fungal infection
- Foot swelling
- Toe deformation
- Long toes
- Small and tight shoes
- Heredity
- In the case of hammertoe, this occurs due to bending or deformation of more than one toe joint. Harder skin type or corns affects the toes.
- Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of joints which usually increases with bunions.
Any good podiatrist Irvine could help you with ingrown toenails and bunions with suitable treatment options. Also, suggest you have footwear that supports and comforts you well. In some cases, they do toenail laser surgery or bunion surgery.
- Treating Bunions
- Bunion problems are addressed in different ways.
- Dr.Sima Sultani is the best and offers a variety of treatment options for all your bunion problems.
- Upon getting the treatment, you will be relieved from pain by preventing the deformation in your toe.
- Meanwhile, if needed, she performs bunion surgery to help you give relief long-term.
- Bunion Treatment
- A simple way is to switch to the footwear that has a spacious toe box. Your footwear should have enough space to wiggle your toes and should support the arch.
- Also, opt for orthotics such as shoe inserts to make blood flow and reduce pressure on your big toe
- Bunion pads help limit chafing while walking.
- Any podiatrist suggests doing foot exercises to improve muscle strength and make correct foot alignment.
- Joint realignment is possible with toe splints by wearing them overnight regularly.
- If you need more support for healing, then consider visiting a podiatrist for personalized treatment.
- Bunion Surgery
- In case all the conservative methods are ineffective, your podiatrist may suggest you undergo bunionectomy surgery.
- All treatment options work only for alleviating your pain and discomfort, while surgery removes bunions completely.
- This will be done when deformation caused debilitating pain and makes your lifestyle more complicated.
Instead of bearing these annoying bunions, it will be good to go through the best treatment and diagnosis from the best Orange County podiatrist, and thereby avoiding any invasive procedures, including surgery. Also, Dr.Sima Sultani offers insurance coverage and home care to her patients.