Foot Fun

All about bunions

Bunions are one of the most common conditions we see in the office, and many patients come in with questions.

Today, I will discuss three common questions about bunions. At the end, you can watch a webinar we have done in the past that discusses this common condition in great depth.

Three common bunion questions

1. Do I need surgery for my bunion? Most of our patients don’t need bunion surgery when they come to see us. Bunion surgery is considered “elective” surgery, and you can decide if and when you want the surgery. Those who opt for surgery usually do so because they have pain and difficulty finding shoes. Sometimes, large bunions are not painful, and smaller ones are. It is good to talk to your doctor about them.
2. How can I keep my bunion from getting worse? The two best treatments to slow the worsening of bunions are appropriate anatomic shoes and orthotics. Shoes reduce pressure on the great toe and avoid rubbing on the inside of the big toe joint. Orthotics reduce abnormal joint movement that can cause added stress and worsening the bunion angle due to a flat or pronating foot when walking.
3. What caused my bunion? Many factors can contribute to bunions, including genetics, shoe choice, and foot type. Each patient is different, but it often runs in the family, not so much the bunion as the same foot type.

We did a 45-minute webinar about this topic. If you want to learn more, you can watch it HERE.

Our Family Trip to Germany 

As a family, we recently took a summer vacation to Germany and Portugal. My sister-in-law lives in Germany and had her first baby during the COVID-19 pandemic. We were going to visit baby Benjamin. We had not been as a family to Europe, and we had a few shocking realizations. Here are three of them.

1. I was afraid I would have jet lag due to the 6-hour time change, but I didn’t because we slept according to the local time right away. This adjustment was easier for our kids.
2. Be prepared to pay to use the bathroom. This was odd, but even at shopping centers, you pay about 1/2 a Euro to use the bathrooms.
3. Smoking is still in vogue, and there are designated smoking areas at the airport.

I included here a picture of the bathrooms. The restricted entrance is visible; you can only get in if you pay.

Question Of The Week

Do toe spacers really work for bunions?

If you google bunion and hammertoe, you will see everyone is recommending some toe spacers.

There are single spacers and others that spread all the toes. Many patients who spread their toes say it makes their feet feel better. BUT they only work if you wear the appropriate shoes.

A few things to know about pacers:

1. You need an anatomic shoe to wear with the toe spacers.

2. Go easy breaking in the spacers and wear them one extra hour each day up to a full day.

3. Wearing toe socks can help you get used to the spacers. The toe socks can reduce rubbing on the plastic.

4. Get high-quality spacers if you really want to wear them long-term.

5. Don't think they will reverse your bunion and make it disappear only surgery can do that. 

We recommend Naboso and Correct Toe spacers, and we have them in our office. We can also teach you how to modify them if needed.

Don’t know if toe spacers are right for you?

Come in for an appointment today!

Call us at 508-757-4003 to make an appointment with Dr. Neil Feldman, Dr. Donald Pelto, Dr. Benjamin Saviet, or Dr. Matthew Monette.

To your health,

Dr. Pelto