Do you have a bunion? This deformity of the big toe joint can twist the position of the big toe toward, or even over, the second toe. Often plaguing more women than men, bunions cause pain and discomfort, affect the fitting of shoes, and is just plain embarrassing. At Reisinger Farmer Podiatry in Evansville, IN, your experienced podiatrists treat most bunions conservatively. Read below to learn more 
about what Dr. Charlotte Resinger and Dr. Dusky Farmer can do about your bunion.
How bunions happen
Also called Hallux Abducto Valgus, a bunion presents as a painful, reddened bump at the base of the big toe. This metatarsophalangeal joint bulges outward while causing the big toe to turn inward, both in varying degrees of severity. Harvard Health reports that as a bunion progresses, bursitis and arthritis often develop, along with corns and calluses caused by the friction between the shoe and the foot.
How could a bunion develop on your foot? Many factors play into this common podiatric problem, including:
- Obesity
- Heredity (bunions seem to run in families)
- High-heeled, narrow-toed shoes
- Lax joints
- Flat arches
- Age and gender (advancing years and being a woman are precipitating factors, explains Science Daily)
What you can do
At Reisinger Farmer Podiatry's Evansville office, your podiatrist will examine your bunion, analyze your gait, and take digital X-rays. These steps help the doctor grade the severity of your bunion and to develop a treatment plan to reduce pain and swelling, correct gait problems, and to keep the bunion from worsening.
Frequent components of a bunion treatment plan include:
- Over-the-counter analgesics for pain
- Rest
- The application of ice on the bunion
- Elevation about heart level
- In-office removal of corns and calluses
- Shoe padding or moleskin to alleviate friction and pressure
- Night time splinting to encourage proper alignment of the big toe joint
- Shoe orthotics, custom-made inserts to correct overpronation, other gait problems, and flat arches
- Losing weight
- Changing to shoes with wider toe boxes, lower heels (no higher than 2-1/2 inches, says the American Podiatric Medical Association)
- Stretching exercises and physical therapy as needed
Bunionectomy (surgical removal of the bunion and subsequent re-aligning of the big toe) is sometimes is necessary in cases of severe and debilitating deformity. However, the doctors prefer a rigorous application of more conservative measures first before ever resorting to surgery.
Find relief for your bunion today!
For more information or to arrange a consultation at our Evansville office, please contact the office at (812) 421-8555.