Bunions and corns Treatment in Miami

Bunions and corns are two common foot-related ailments that affect millions of Americans each year. Here at the office of Barry M. Tuvel, DPM, we provide comprehensive corn and bunion treatment for patients in Miami, FL. Learn more about the differences between bunions and corns, their causes, and the treatment plans offered here at our office. To schedule a consultation, give us a call at (305) 279-2499 today!

What Are Bunions?

Bunions are misaligned big toe joints that can become swollen and tender, causing the first joint of the big toe to slant outward, and the second joint to angle toward the other toes. People with a bunion have a toe that points outward, as well as a bump on the inner side of the foot. As the bunion becomes more prominent, pain can develop. Bunions are a common problem that can cause foot pain and difficulty wearing shoes. Bunions occur in about 30% of the population of most Western countries. They are seen most commonly in women and older age groups.

What Are Corns?

Corns are skin growths that form on bony prominences on the feet due to excess pressure. A corn is simply a callus on the foot and forms wherever there is excess pressure (typically on knuckles, tops of toes, or between the toes).

What Causes Bunions?

Tight-fitting shoes are thought to be the cause of bunions in most patients. Shoes such as high heels or cowboy boots are particularly damaging to the toes. These shoes have a sloping foot bed and a narrow toe box. The slope causes the front of the foot to be pushed with force into the narrow toe box, causing the toes to become squeezed together. Depending on factors such as duration of wearing constraining footwear, skeletal maturity, and individual factors, the toes can become adapted to the new position and lead to the deformity we know as a bunion.

Footwear is not the only cause of bunions. Genetics do play a significant role: people who have a history of bunions in their families are also much more likely to have bunion than people who do not. Injuries to the foot can also be a factor in developing a bunion. In most cases, individuals with bunions possess a combination of characteristics that make them susceptible to the condition. For example, women over the age of forty who have a family history of bunions, and often wear high-heeled shoes, would be considered to be at high risk for bunion development.

What Causes Corns?

Though not nearly as severe as bunions, corns have many of the same causes. Corns almost exclusively occur due to friction caused by shoe pressure against bony prominences of the foot or toes.

Bunion Treatment: The Surgical Route

Once a bunion has set in, the only treatment option is surgery. Bunion surgery usually involves breaking the toe bone (metatarsal) to correct the alignment problem that caused the bunion to form; this part of the procedure is called an osteotomy. The surgery also involves tightening the ligaments on the outside of the toe, and loosening of the ligaments on the inside, so the tension on the ligaments holds the toe pointing in the proper direction. Pins, plates, or screws are often utilized to hold the bone while it is healing.

Complications of Bunion Surgery

• Possible complications of surgery include:

• Recurrence of the bunion months or years down the road

• Inadequate correction

• Overcorrection of the deformity (hallux virus — the big toe points inward)

• Nerve injury can cause numbness in the toes

• Infection

Rehab After Bunion Surgery

After surgery, the foot must be protected to allow the broken bone to heal, and the inflammation to subside. The use of immobilization and/or crutches will depend on the particular procedure that needs to be performed. There are variations of how and where to break the bone depending both on surgeon preference and the severity of the deformity.

Corn Removal and Treatment

Symptomatic treatment of corns may be performed in our office through pairing and removal of dead skin on targeted areas. For long-term relief, it is best to schedule a consultation with our podiatric professionals in order to ascertain exactly how your corns are forming.

To schedule a consultation with our podiatric professionals, give our office a call at (305) 279-2499 today!