Simple, effective treatments for painful toes and bunions.
Bunions are a common condition and often run in families. Whilst some bunions don’t cause any pain, some are persistently uncomfortable, and a wide forefoot can cause some difficulty in finding appropriate footwear.Â
In these patients we offer a bunion correction. We do this with a minimal invasive osteotomy where the toe is sectioned then slid across and held with 2 screws. In severe deformity it can be corrected by fusion of the joint above the big toe. Often the little toes, commonly the 2nd and 3rd toes, are affected and we straighten these out at the same time.Â
Following surgery patients are in a heel weight bearing shoe for 4-6 weeks, then go into more comfortable shoes. It’s important not to put much weight through the front of the foot during this healing phase as the screws and bones are very small.Â
Arthritis in the big toe can be painful, but there are several effective treatment options depending on severity.
Arthritis of the big toe joint is a common condition causing forefoot pain. It can be associated with a prior injury, having been in a manual job, or associated with a bunion.Â
The treatment depends on the severity, with milder cases needing a tidy up with bone removal, and more advanced cases needing a fusion. Replacement preserves motion, but technology hasn’t succeeded in providing an extremely reliable joint replacement solution at this stage. Â
