Undergoing surgery to treat a toe deformity is not always an easy choice, but if all conservative measures have failed to bring you relief from discomfort or pain, there are surgical options that can help.
Bunions form when the big toe joint moves out of alignment so that the toe points towards the other toes. If bunions are treated early, the severity of the bunion can be slowed or resolved from simple measures like wearing wide-toed shoes, stretching, icing, and using custom orthotics.
People who have:
- pain that prevents them from performing daily activities
- bunions that overlap with other toes
- difficulty wearing shoes or walking
- stiffness in the toe joint
are usually good candidates for undergoing bunion surgery.
There are many different types of bunion surgeries that can be done to correct the toe alignment and the surrounding tissues of your specific bunion. Bone work may involve:
- making small cuts into the bones (osteotomy)
- fusing joints with hardware (arthrodesis or lapidus procedure)
- removing the bulging part of the big toe joint (exostectomy)
- removing the damaged end of a joint and reshaping both ends (resection arthroplasty)
- using an artificial joint
Finding an experienced podiatrist to perform your surgery is an important part of a successful surgery. Recovery can take months and require lots of rest, care, and physical therapy, so having a foot care specialist you can trust will greatly affect the success in surgery.
At Your Next Step, you have access to a team of highly skilled podiatrists who can help you no matter the severity of your foot and ankle conditions. Whether you have a sports injury, heel pain, toe deformity, diabetic foot problem or nail fungus, Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich and Dr. Aliza V. Eisen use innovative technologies and compassionate care to improve and maintain your podiatric health. We have three convenient locations in Ardmore, Paoli, or Downingtown to best serve you. Please contact us for more information and to schedule an appointment today!