CHICAGO, Ill. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — The average American adult takes approximately four to six thousand steps a day. In fact, most Americans travel 75 thousand miles on their feet by the time they reach 50. So, it’s not surprising that 75 percent of people will suffer from foot pain at least once in their lives. One in three people will experience the pain of a bunion. That’s a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of your big toe. Ivanhoe busts the myths about bunions and tells us about a new procedure to fix them.
What causes bunions?
David Garras, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedic Consultants says, “They can be worsened by high heels. The strongest factor for developing a bunion is usually genetics.”
Can you correct them by using any of these? Doctor Garras explains, “They can alleviate some of the pain or what have you. They cannot correct the bunion.”
Kathleene Faragai-Moke has had them since she was a teen. When she became a high school math teacher, the pain became unbearable. She says, “It was a shooting pain, even like, if I was just standing still, I didn’t even have to be walking.”
The traditional way most doctors correct a bunion is through open surgery that can be painful with a long recovery time. But now, some orthopedic surgeons are using a minimally invasive bunionectomy.
Doctor Garras explains, “What she ended up having is a bunionectomy done through about four or five small little poke hole incisions.”
Through those holes, Doctor David Garras was able to cut the bone using a small burr.
Surgery time is the same for both, but with the minimally invasive procedure, incisions are smaller, there’s less soft tissue damage, less bleeding, less scarring, less swelling, less pain.
“I would say by the second week i was walking on my heel.” Says Faragoi-Moke
The surgery worked so well, a few months later, she had the other foot done.
Faragoi-Moke states, “Changed my life. I never have pain in my feet. I wear sandals again. I don’t have to wear wide shoes anymore. It was great.”
Doctor Garris says not everybody is a candidate for the minimally invasive bunionectomy. It works best on somebody who has a moderate to severe bunion, no arthritis, no midfoot collapse.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa,
Sources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14386-bunions-hallux-valgus
https://drmoy.com/9-interesting-facts-bunions-foot-pain/
BUNION BUSTER
REPORT #2992
BACKGROUND: David Garras, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at Midwest Orthopedic Consultants says, “Women do get bunions more than men.” Bunions can form on the joint that leads to the base of your big toe. They are caused by bones in the front part of your foot that move out of place and pull the big toe towards the smaller toes. This forces the joint at the base of the big toe to stick out causing a bony bump. Bunion signs and symptoms: a bulging bump, swelling, soreness, and ongoing pain that can come and go. Misalignment of the bones can also cause inflammation in the nerve traveling between the feet and toes. What can cause a bunion? Wearing tight and narrow shoes, such as high heels as well as the shape of your foot or even conditions such as arthritis. Bunions can also develop in your pinky toe called, bunionettes.
THE DIAGNOSIS: While bunions are quite visible at the base of your big toe or the side of your foot, a surgeon may take an x-ray to determine the degree of deformity and to see the changes that occurred to fully evaluate the condition. Since bunions are progressive, they don’t go away and will get worse over time. But not all cases are alike, some bunions develop quicker more than others, and once the surgeon has evaluated your bunion, a treatment plan can be developed to suit the needs of your specific bunion. Another way someone can diagnose a bunion is a physical exam and sometimes that’s all doctors need to confirm a bunion. Doctors will also gently move the toe to see if the bunion restricts ranges of motion or causes pain in the toe. Early treatments may ease the pain of bunions but will not change the deformity itself. If nonsurgical options don’t work and your bunion interferes with daily activity, then surgery may be the next step.
(Source: https://www.foothealthfacts.org/conditions/bunions https://nyulangone.org/conditions/bunions-in-adults/diagnosis)
NEW TREATMENT: There are many different treatments for bunions and some you can do without seeing a doctor. For example, you can buy bunion pads which can cushion the area of the bunion and help ease the pain, medical tape also helps keep the foot in correct position and can help ease the pain. Switching shoes with wider and deep toe boxes can help take pressure off your toes and relieve some of that pain and even orthotics can help control the alignment issues that can be a contributing factor to bunion formation. A spacer that is put between the big toe and second toe can help some people find some relief as well since it works like a splint and helps keep the toe straight. For more severe cases, steroid injections can reduce pain and swelling but can also damage the toe and foot if used too often or the injection goes right into the joint. If none of these options work, getting a bunionectomy can help people who have severe pain when walking or wearing comfortable shoes and cannot find any relief. There are some risks to having this surgery with stiffness, numbness, swelling and even delayed healing and infection.
(Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14386-bunions-hallux-valgus https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/bunion-surgery)
* For More Information, Contact: Lisa Stafford
lisa@staffordcommunicationsinc.com
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