Treating Bunions

 Have a painful bump on the side of your foot?

If your big toe is angled over a bit and you have a bump on the side of your foot, you most likely have a bunion. The good news is you are not alone as this is one of the most common foot problems treated at Capital District Podiatry . The not so good news is this condition usually worsens over time and ignoring it could lead to chronic pain and other problems such as bursitis and even immobility.

How do you treat bunions?

Catching a bunion problem early, even before pain is present will have a significant impact on your foot health long term. This deformity is usually due to an inherited foot structure so if you know that you are prone to developing bunions or notice a bump is forming, start treatment early. Foot specialist Dr. Tejas Pandya may suggest one or more of the following treatment options:

• Change of footwear 
• Icing
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Activity modifications
• Custom orthotics to support and protect your feet

If your condition has progressed past beyond conservative treatment options, surgery may be needed to relieve your symptoms. This is nothing to fear. Our office has helped many patients through bunionectomies. Often the surgery is done as a same-day procedure and only requires a local anesthesia. Dr. Pandya can choose the right procedure to eliminate your bunions and pain once and for all.

We have two convenient locations in Troy and Clifton Park, NY to serve you. Call us at (518) 273-0053 to make an appointment and say goodbye to your bunion pain!  

Bunion Prevention: Keep Track of Your Child’s Feet & Yours!

Taking proper care of your feet is important at all ages and children’s feet are especially important to take care of.  You want to make sure to keep up with the health of your kids’ feet to help prevent future painful foot ailments such as bunions.

A bunion is a growth of the bone, or tissue, that surrounds the joints based at your big toes. Bunions tend to develop slowly, so prevention techniques should be taken even during childhood.
Have your children follow these healthful tips to prevent bunions:

    •    Exercise your feet and toes. Include your children in your daily exercise routine and work out your feet and toes. Rotate your feet and try to move each toe individually. Point your toes up and down and practice picking up small objects using your toes.

    •    Wear correct shoe and sock sizes. Shoes that scrunch your toes can lead to bunions or causes them to spread. Children’s feet can grow at extremely fast rates so check your child’s shoes regularly.  You can do this by feeling the front of their shoes and see where the big toe lands. Footwear should allow the toes enough room to move. Your toes should not touch the end of your shoes and should be wide enough that toes will not be pushed together.

    •    Avoid excessive pronation. If your child’s feet roll inward too much during walking, running, or any form of physical activity, it can result in bunions. Supportive shoes, or arch support shoe inserts, can prevent this problem. You can also look into purchasing custom made orthotics, which can be used to prevent many different foot ailments and give your child’s feet the best functionality.

Keeping your feet healthy from an early age can help to keep you active for longer. If your child develops a bunion, or any other sort of foot ailment, contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.  He can help your child get back to his or her best foot health.

Resources:

http://www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com/library/1773/BunionPrevention.html
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/bunions-prevention

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