What are bunions?

"We see many patients that come in complaining that they have a bump at the base of their big toe that becomes larger over time and causes them a lot of pain and discomfort. This is a bunion. Bunions don’t necessarily need surgery if they’re caught early enough, treatment can be done without surgery. If it progresses to the point of significant deformity and enlargement of the bump that hurts in all types of shoes, or even when you don’t wear shoes, then surgery is often needed.

What a bunion is, is instead of the big toe joint being aligned fairly straight, a bunion forms like this, and there’s significant pressure and irritation on that particular part of the foot, aggravated by shoes and pressure, of course, which can make it very red and swollen. Not all bunions need surgery. There are other ways of treating it, depending on how severe it is. Give us a call; we’ll be happy to discuss all your treatment options. If surgery is needed we can discuss that as well."

Dr. Harvey Danciger