A bunion is a bony protrusion that develops at the base of your big toe. It’s a common joint issue that affects one in three people in the United States, often causing pain, stiffness, and difficulty finding comfortable shoes.
If you’ve been living with bunions for years or even decades, it’s not too late to find a solution. Our team at Ahwatukee Foot & Ankle Center offers effective treatment options to suit your needs and lifestyle, ranging from conservative strategies to surgical correction.
Bunions develop when the big toe joint — the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint — shifts out of place, causing the toe to lean inward and the joint at the base to push out. A variety of factors can contribute to this misalignment, including the natural structure of your foot, the way you walk, the shoes you wear, and conditions like arthritis that cause joint inflammation.
While they can be uncomfortable, bunions don’t always require surgical correction. For most people, conservative treatments are sufficient to manage discomfort and slow the progression of the condition.
Simple strategies such as wearing shoes with a wider toe box, bunion pads or tape, and custom orthotics can provide relief by reducing pressure on the MTP joint. To temporarily reduce pain and inflammation, we may recommend ice, topical or oral pain medication, or corticosteroid injections.
Nonsurgical treatment options can be effective for easing discomfort in the early stages, but they can’t fix the root cause of the problem. Corrective surgery for bunions is the only way to permanently address the underlying misalignment, and it’s never too late to opt for surgery.
In these surgeries, we realign the bones and fix them together to straighten the toe and eliminate the painful bump. We may recommend bunion surgery in advanced cases where:
A bunion is a progressive condition that can worsen without proper care, even if it takes many years for you to get to a point of considering surgery. Our team can help you decide whether a surgical solution is the right choice for you.
Prior to your procedure, our team uses ultrasound or 3D imaging to assess the condition of your joint and determine the best course of action. The surgery itself is an outpatient procedure.
In the initial weeks after surgery, you may need a protective shoe or boot and crutches or a knee scooter to help you get around. Recovery time varies, but most patients start to regain foot function at about 6-12 weeks after surgery — though swelling may persist for up to nine months.
We provide detailed instructions on how to manage pain and inflammation during your recovery, specific exercises to help restore movement and strength, and a timeline for resuming activities. Regular follow-up appointments ensure the healing process is going according to plan.
We can correct your bunion, even if you’ve had it for decades. Contact Ahwatukee Foot & Ankle Center in Phoenix or Maricopa, Arizona, to schedule a consultation with our experts.
