It is always said that women have to suffer a lot when it comes to foot problems like bunions. This is due to their ill-fitting shoes or sandals that make them suffer. Hence podiatrists have seen more cases in females with such problems than males. So how can this be prevented?
Footwear that is narrow, high-heeled, and pointed usually causes a lot of problems for women’s feet. This results mainly in getting bunions. The pain and disfigurement relating to bunions can make it difficult for you to live a normal life. Thus, you need to make an immediate appointment with your nearby podiatrist Irvine. They are experts in dealing with any kind of foot problem.
What is a bunion?
A bunion is a bone deformity that happens on the forefoot and it is also called a hallux valgus. It grows on the outside of your big toe due to the constant pressure on your joints. The big toe will start moving inwards towards the other toes and the toe bone will start looking like a lump on the outside. This will result in pain, swelling, and difficulty walking or moving. On the other hand, you will start becoming self-conscious about the appearance of the foot.
In mild cases, you might feel that a change into a comfortable shoe can make things better but this cannot be the case. It will turn worse day by day if not treated
Why are women more susceptible to this?
The reason for getting bunions is not known. This can be due to a family history of having bunions or wearing some ill-fitting footwear. It is always seen that tight fitting or some cheaply made footwear can cause bunions to get worse. As we all know that women wear such footwears which are uncomfortable at times, that is why they suffer from bunions more.
What are the treatment options?
Bunions generally go away with low maintenance and non-surgical treatments. A podiatrist is a right person to give you a solution to this problem. One of the best Irvine podiatrists is at Dr. Sima Soltani’s Podiatry Office who can dedicatedly solve your foot problems whether it is surgically or non-surgically.
The most common treatment options include:
Conservative treatment: This treatment includes wearing the right shoe, bunion pads, shoe inserts, ice treatments, and taking cortisone injections. If this doesn’t give you relief then you need to go for surgical treatment.
Bunionectomy: This is a surgical method where the bone is cut to shift it and straighten up the bone. This is done with the help of traditional open surgery and the new minimal invasive operation.
The minimally invasive operation makes use of a smaller incision having minimal pain and quicker recovery. This is usually an outpatient procedure and the patient will need to wear orthopedic shoes for about 4 to 6 weeks.
Fusion procedure: In this, the long toe and the big toe are fused. This is done for patients who got arthritis and bunions problems and want to reduce joint pains.
Some of the patients also opt for bunion surgery just because they don’t like the way it looks. But most doctors do not advise this.
What are some common misconceptions about bunions?
- People feel that bunions are like a lump on the foot but the truth is that it is just a bone deformity and not some extra bone grown
- An arthritic patient may mistake a spur on the big toe as a bunion
- Many feel bunion surgery is the cutting off the bone growth but actually, it is straightening or realigning of the big toe.
What are the different types of bunions?
There are different types through which you can identify the bunions:
- Bunion with skin irritation: In this, you may see that the bump on the side of the toe may have turned red and painful due to the constant rubbing against the shoe. Sometimes you may also see bursitis which is an inflamed pocket of fluid that may occur on the bump.
- Large bunions: Some may have larger bunions at the big toe and also a tailor’s bunion at the smaller toe. This can be seen mainly through x-rays and will be difficult to find the perfect shoe for your feet.
- Bunion with hallux limitus: This kind of bunion is seen along with the condition called hallux limitus. This kind of bunion occurs due to jamming at the big toe joint which later on occurs at the top of the big toe.
- Tailor’s bunion: It is a bunionette that is seen at the smaller toe. It also occurs due to ill-fitting shoes or family history. Here the smaller toe moves towards the fourth toe. Tailor bunions can be most prominently seen at the head of the smaller toe. Unlike other bunions, these tailor bunions occur on the outside and not inside.
It is said that tailor’s bunion has got its name because earlier tailors used to sit cross-legged while working which would make their little toes rub against the ground. This was resulting in a painful bump in this little toe. For more details on bunions, you can get in touch with the Orange County podiatrist.
