Are bunions making life a pain? You're not alone. Bunions impact nearly a quarter of people between 18 to 65, and more than a third are over the age of 65. Bunions can cause intense pain, swelling, and even deformities of your feet if left untreated.
Fortunately, there’s a new and innovative treatment for bunions. At FootCare Specialists, Inc., in San Mateo and Half Moon Bay, California, Dr. David Kaplan offers minimally invasive bunion surgery to get you back on your feet as quickly as possible.
That little bulge outward where the long bone in your foot and the first bone in your big toe meet is the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP). It’s the part of your foot that takes a lot of pressure as you walk, run, jump, or stand on tiptoe.
When this joint gets inflamed, it starts to bulge even more. The two bones angle out and the joint juts from between them, getting red and swollen with every passing day. If you don’t get a bunion treated, it can permanently shove the bones out of place, causing your foot to look deformed.
What causes a bunion? It can vary, but a lot of people who have bunions also have family members with bunions. This leads many researchers to think bunions could be related to an inherited foot shape. However, there are several factors that increase your risk of bunions.
Tight or narrow shoes (especially ones with heels that put extra weight on the MTP) can exacerbate the problem and make it more likely that you’ll develop bunions. If you have certain types of arthritis that impact multiple joints, like rheumatoid arthritis, you’ll want to watch for signs of forming bunions. Also, if you work a job where you're on your feet a lot, you have a higher risk of developing bunions.
Bunion surgery (also known as a bunionectomy) is sometimes the only option. Fortunately, Dr. Kaplan specializes in minimally invasive bunion surgery. This procedure will swiftly correct your joint and allow bones to return to their normal position. With minimally invasive bunion surgery, you can be back on your feet as soon as the same day, and able to go back to work inside of a week.
Are bunions making it impossible to live your best life? Contact one of our offices and schedule an appointment with Dr. Kaplan today. You don’t have to suffer from bunion pain anymore!
