Category Archives: bunions

Chicago podiatrist

Will Wearing Wide Shoes Reduce My Bunion Pain?

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Wearing Wide Shoes

Wearing wide shoes can potentially help reduce bunion pain for some individuals. Bunions are often caused by pressure and friction on the big toe joint, leading to a misalignment of the bones. Wide shoes can provide more room for the toes and help alleviate some of the pressure on the affected area.

For people with bunions, shoes with wide toe boxes, stretchy materials and strong arch support are best to reduce friction and irritation. Look for wide options to accommodate your bunion and avoid putting pressure on the toe joints.

Bunions, or hallux valgus, are a common foot problem where there’s a bony bump at the bottom of the big toe. They often develop when the big toe pushes against the other toes, causing the joint at the base of the toe to become enlarged and misaligned. Bunions can make it hard to find comfortable and supportive shoes, as they often lead to pain, discomfort, and swelling.

It’s important to consult with a healthcare professional, such as a podiatrist or orthopedic specialist, to get personalized advice based on your specific condition. They can provide recommendations tailored to your situation and may suggest additional measures or treatments to manage bunion pain effectively.

Tips for Shopping for Bunion-Friendly Shoes

Shopping for bunion-friendly shoes requires a thoughtful approach to ensure optimal comfort and support. Here are some valuable tips to guide you through the process.

Trying on Shoes In-Store

When shopping for shoes in-store, take advantage of the opportunity to assess the fit and feel before making a purchase.

  • Bring Your Socks: Wear the socks you want to wear with the shoes in the future to ensure an accurate fit. Different sock thicknesses can impact how shoes feel on your feet.
  • Measure Both Feet: Have both of your feet measured, as they can vary in size. Choose the size that works with the larger foot for a more comfortable fit.
  • Walk Around the Store: Take a stroll around the store to assess how the shoes feel during movement. Pay attention to any pressure points or discomfort, especially around the bunion area.

Call and schedule an appointment with our Chicago podiatrists at 773-769-3310. Our podiatrists can provide a proper diagnosis based on your symptoms, medical history, and potentially recommend imaging studies or other diagnostic tests to identify the underlying cause and determine the appropriate treatment.

bunion pain

Bunion Treatment Checklist

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A bunion is a bony bump that forms at the base of the big toe, causing it to point inward toward the other toes. Bunion treatment can vary depending on the severity of the condition and the individual’s symptoms. Here’s a checklist of potential bunion treatment options and steps you can consider:

  1. Consult a Healthcare Professional:
    • Start by seeing a podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
  2. Assess the Severity:
    • Determine the severity of your bunion. Mild bunions may require different treatment than severe ones.
  3. Lifestyle and Footwear Changes:
    • Opt for shoes with a wide toe box to reduce pressure on the bunion.
    • Avoid high heels and narrow shoes that can exacerbate the problem.
    • Consider orthotic shoe inserts or custom-made orthotics to provide better arch support.
  4. Padding and Taping:
    • Use padded cushions or moleskin to protect the bunion from friction and pressure.
    • Taping the bunion can help realign the toe and provide temporary relief.
  5. Medications:
    • Over-the-counter pain relievers (e.g., ibuprofen) can help reduce pain and inflammation.
  6. Foot Exercises:
    • Perform specific foot exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the big toe and improve flexibility.
  7. Orthotics and Splints:
    • Your healthcare provider may recommend orthotic devices or splints to help correct the alignment of the toe.
  8. Physical Therapy:
    • Physical therapy may be prescribed to improve joint function and alleviate pain.
  9. Icing:
    • Applying ice to the bunion for 15-20 minutes several times a day can help reduce inflammation.
  10. Bunion Night Splints:
    • These devices are worn at night to gently straighten the toe and slow down the progression of the bunion.
  11. Bunionectomy:
    • In severe cases or when conservative treatments fail, surgery (bunionectomy) may be necessary to remove the bunion and realign the toe joint. Discuss surgical options with your healthcare provider.
  12. Follow-Up Care:
    • Keep regular appointments with your healthcare provider to monitor the progress of your treatment and make any necessary adjustments.
  13. Foot Care Habits:
    • Maintain good foot hygiene and nail care to prevent complications.
    • Avoid activities that put excess strain on the feet.
  14. Manage Underlying Conditions:
    • If conditions like arthritis contribute to your bunion, work with your healthcare provider to manage those conditions effectively.
  15. Patience and Time:
    • Bunion treatment can take time. Be patient and consistent with your chosen treatments.

Remember that the appropriate treatment for your bunion will depend on its severity and your individual circumstances. Consult with our podiatrists in Chicago  for a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs.

 

bunion pain

Bunions. Bunion Pain

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Ways to Ease Your Bunion Pain

Bunion pain can be quite uncomfortable, but there are several strategies you can try to ease the pain and discomfort associated with bunions. Call Chicago podiatrists at 773-205-0106 for evaluation and treatment.

Here are some ways to ease bunion pain:

  1. Choose Comfortable Footwear:
    • Opt for shoes that have a wide toe box to prevent pressure on the bunion.
    • Avoid high heels and shoes with pointed toes, as they can exacerbate bunion pain.
  2. Orthotics and Inserts:
    • Over-the-counter or custom-made orthotic shoe inserts can help redistribute pressure on your feet, reducing bunion discomfort.
  3. Padding and Cushioning:
    • Use bunion pads or cushions to provide a barrier between your bunion and your shoe, reducing friction and pressure.
  4. Ice Packs:
    • Applying ice packs for 15-20 minutes at a time can help reduce inflammation and numb the area, providing temporary pain relief.
  5. Pain Relievers:
    • Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen can help reduce pain and inflammation. Always follow the recommended dosage.
  6. Toe Spacers:
    • Toe spacers can help separate your toes, which may reduce pressure on the bunion and alleviate pain.
  7. Bunion Splints:
    • These devices can help realign the big toe, especially when worn at night. Consult a healthcare professional before using a splint.
  8. Stretching and Strengthening Exercises:
    • Gentle toe and foot exercises can help improve the flexibility and strength of the muscles around the bunion, potentially reducing pain over time.
  9. Foot Massage:
    • Massaging your feet can help improve blood circulation and relieve tension in the muscles, which might alleviate bunion discomfort.
  10. Weight Management:
    • Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the pressure on your feet and lessen the strain on your bunions.
  11. Elevate Your Feet:
    • When resting, elevate your feet to help reduce swelling and alleviate pain.
  12. Avoid Tight Shoes and High Heels:
    • Wearing shoes that squeeze your toes or have high heels can worsen bunion pain, so it’s best to avoid them.
  13. Consider Shoe Inserts:
    • Arch supports or custom-made orthotics can help distribute pressure evenly across your feet, reducing the strain on your bunions.
  14. Physical Therapy:
    • A physical therapist can guide you through exercises and techniques to improve your foot strength and flexibility.
  15. Surgical Consultation:
    • If conservative measures don’t provide relief, consult a podiatrist at 773-205-0106.
Toenail Fungus

How Can I Get Rid of Toenail Fungus?

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How Can I Get Rid of Toenail Fungus?

Are you embarrassed about your unsightly toenails?

If your toenails look discolored, thickened, or are becoming more brittle or painful, you may have toenail fungus under your nails.

Podiatrists at European Foot and Ankle Clinic can help you take care of not only your feet and ankles, but also your toenails.

Toenail fungus starts when dermatophytes (a type of fungus) enter the bed of your toenails through small cracks, blisters, or scrapes. You can pick up this type of fungus if you go barefoot in warm and damp environments like public showers and pools.

Once inside your nails, the fungus grows and turns them yellow. This discoloration is typically the first sign of a fungal infection. If you don’t treat it right away, your nails may become brittle, and feel painful to the touch over time.

In the worst-case scenario, untreated toenail fungus can take root deep in the tissue layers of your nail and become much more difficult to eliminate.

Symptoms

  • Warped or oddly shaped nails
  • Yellowish nails
  • Loose/separated nail
  • Buildup of bits and pieces of nail fragments under the nail
  • Brittle, broken, thickened nail

Laser for fungal toenail is a pain free and fast procedure, to treat any type of fungus infection in your nail. This technique uses laser light to penetrate and vaporize nail bed and special frequency kills only infected cells, with this method there’s no down time and it does not affect your everyday life.

Ways to prevent toenail fungus:

  1. Wash your feet with soap and water daily, and dry them with a clean towel.
  2. Clip your toenails straight across with a clean clippers.
  3. Wear clean socks daily.
  4. Change your gym shoes after a workout. In fact, alternate pairs if possible, letting your footwear dry out between wearings.
  5. Wear flip-flops or shower sandals in the locker room and poolside, too.
  6. Keep your toenails short

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bunion surgery

Minimal Incision Bunionectomy

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Minimal Incision Bunionectomy

When people are suffering from a painful bunion condition, no one wants to have surgery. Today, podiatrists  prefer to perform minimally invasive surgeries instead of traditional open surgeries.

In traditional surgery, a patient’s body is opened up to allow the surgeon to access the part of the body that needs to be repaired. Podiatric surgeons may need to create incisions in the foot as long as three to six inches to reach the bones, muscles, and tendons that need to be repaired for many conditions and injuries that affect the feet and ankles. Opening the body to this degree increases the risk of infection, scarring and often requires an extended recovery time. Minimal Incision Bunionectomy, on the other hand, is performed through a couple of small incisions, and in some cases, foot surgery may be performed without making an incision at all.

Minimally invasive surgery is performed using specially designed instruments, similar to the tiny instruments used by jewelers, which are inserted into the body through small incisions made through the skin directly to bone to help correct deformities without damaging the soft tissue.

This minimal incision bunionectomy is generally performed with local anesthesia.

binion correction

Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery Provided in Chicago IL

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Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery

Bunion correctors may not fix your bunion permanently.

Minimally invasive bunion surgery, also known as minimally invasive bunionectomy or keyhole bunion surgery, is a surgical procedure performed to correct a bunion deformity with smaller incisions and less disruption to the surrounding tissues compared to traditional open surgery. The goal of the surgery is to realign the bones of the big toe and restore normal foot function while minimizing scarring and reducing recovery time.

Here’s an overview of the procedure and its benefits:

  1. Procedure: Minimally invasive bunion surgery typically involves the following steps:
    • Small incisions: One or a few small incisions are made near the affected area.
    • Soft tissue preservation: The surgeon carefully moves and preserves the soft tissues (muscles, tendons) to access the bunion.
    • Bone realignment: The misaligned bones are corrected using specialized instruments.
    • Fixation: Screws, wires, or other devices may be used to stabilize the bones in their new position.
    • Incision closure: The incisions are closed with sutures or surgical glue.
  2. Benefits:
    • Smaller incisions: The smaller incisions result in less scarring and a more cosmetically appealing outcome.
    • Reduced soft tissue trauma: Minimally invasive techniques minimize damage to surrounding tissues, leading to less pain and swelling after surgery.
    • Quicker recovery: Patients often experience faster recovery and return to normal activities compared to traditional open surgery.
    • Lower risk of complications: Minimally invasive approaches have been associated with lower rates of infection, nerve damage, and other

Call to schedule an appointment for any our Chicago podiatry offices: 773-205-0106

Lear more: https://europeanfootandankleclinic.com

Bunions

Bunions. Symptoms and Causes

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Bunions. Symptoms and Causes

A bunion is a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of the big toe. It is a common foot problem that affects people of all ages, but it is most commonly seen in women and older adults. Bunions can be painful and limit mobility, making it difficult to wear certain types of shoes or participate in certain activities.

Symptoms of a bunion include:

  1. A bulging bump on the base of the big toe.
  2. Pain and tenderness in the affected area.
  3. Swelling or redness around the big toe joint.
  4. Stiffness in the big toe joint.
  5. Corns or calluses on the bump or on the second toe due to friction from shoes.
  6. Limited movement of the big toe.

The exact cause of bunions is not known, but several factors may contribute to their development. These include:

  1. Genetics: A tendency to develop bunions can be inherited.
  2. Foot structure: Abnormal foot structure, such as flat feet or low arches, can lead to bunions.
  3. Foot injuries: Injuries to the foot can cause the bones to shift and contribute to bunion development.
  4. Footwear: Tight, narrow, or high-heeled shoes can put pressure on the toes and contribute to bunion formation.
  5. Arthritis: Certain types of arthritis can cause inflammation in the joints and contribute to the development of bunions.

If you suspect you have a bunion, it is important to see a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment. Treatment options may include changes in footwear, padding and taping, medication, physical therapy, or surgery.

Podiatrists at European Foot & Ankle clinic provide minimally invasive bunion surgery.

Call to schedule an appointment for any our Chicago podiatry offices: 773-205-0106

Lear more: https://europeanfootandankleclinic.com/service/minimally-invasive-bunion-surgery-treatment

MIS bunion

Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery

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Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery

A bunion is an enlargement of the bone or tissue around a joint at the base of the big toe or at the base of the little toe. Bunions often form when the joint is stressed over a prolonged period. Bunions can be painful and make daily activities a challenge, as they can cause irritation, swelling and stiffness in the toe joints over time.

Modern minimally invasive bunion surgery allows smaller incisions and facilitates easier recovery for patients. Modern advances in minimally invasive bunion surgery techniques and technology have allowed for tiny incisions, a walking recovery, less postoperative pain, shorter operative time and an overall easier recovery.

With this technique, there is no need to open the joints which spare blood supply to the bones, so patients don’t have inner and external scar tissue as they would with traditional bunion surgery. This means a reduced time in physical therapy and less need for the painful break-up of scar tissue in the big toe joint.

Benefits of minimally invasive bunion surgery include improvement in deformity, pain and overall clinical appearance. Minimally Invasive Bunion Correction Surgery can relieve your pain, correct any related foot deformity, and help you resume your normal activities.

 

Call to schedule an appointment for any our Chicago podiatry offices: 773-205-0106

Lear more: https://europeanfootandankleclinic.com/service/minimally-invasive-bunion-surgery-treatment

 

 

Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery

What Is Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery?

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What Is Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery?

Traditional foot and ankle surgical techniques involve large incisions, extensive dissection inside the foot or ankle, and internal devices such as pins and screws to correct foot aa variety of problems. Such procedures often involve significant recovery time, pain and discomfort, and the disruption of soft tissue inside the body. Simply put, traditional surgery is not a walk in the park.

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS), however, reduces or eliminates many of these unwelcome aspects of traditional surgery. MIS involves the use of specially designed surgical instruments and devices, along with an advanced imaging system called a fluoroscope, to see inside the body without having to make large incisions. Surgeons perform their procedures through extremely small ‘key-hole’ incisions in the foot or ankle.

Minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery uses smaller incisions, usually 2-3 millimeters long, to allow for faster recovery while effectively correcting deformities. This is a highly skilled technique that requires advanced foot and ankle training, specialized equipment and has been validated by many foot and ankle experts over the past 30 years.

Minimally invasive bunionectomy involves less pain, a faster recovery, and better cosmetic results due to the small incisions. Open surgery, however, is used if implant placement in the distracted joint is necessary, it’s a more powerful correction for very severe bunion deformities. 

European Foot and Ankle Clinic is one of the pioneers in performing MIS techniques in successful correcting foot deformities. This advanced technique is utilized here by Dr Goshko and Dr Podolskiy since 2013. 

Call to schedule an appointment:  773-205-0106

Read more at: https://europeanfootandankleclinic.com/service/minimally-invasive-bunion-surgery-treatment

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bunion surgery

Bunions

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BUNIONS

What Are Bunions?

A bunion (hallux valgus) is often described as a bump on the side of the big toe. Bunions can be caused by multiple reasons that include genetics, foot structure, an imbalance in foot muscles and narrow shoes. A bunion is a foot deformity that typically occurs at the joint where the big toe meets the rest of the foot. While this lump is the most noticeable symptom of a bunion, the condition is a result of a shift in the bony framework in the front of a person’s foot.

What Are the Symptoms of a Bunion?

  • Pain in the outer base of the big toe
  • A noticeable bump along the big toe joint
  • Redness around the big toe
  • Burning sensation on the side of the big toe
  • Inability to move the big toe
  • Swelling in the big toe
  • Big toe pain that worsens over time
  • Big toe pain that worsens with tight shoes or high heels

If your bunion isn’t already painful, it likely will become painful after a period of time. If it’s already causing you discomfort, that pain may worsen over time. Chronic pain can impact you physically as well as mentally, so it’s important to get the treatment you need to prevent it.

Who Might Get a Bunion?

Up to 1 in 3 Americans have bunions. The foot problem is more common in older adults, especially women. Bunions can form on one or both feet.

Bunions Treatments

Two main options are available to actively treat bunion: Medications and surgery.

Medication

Medication can help with pain and swelling.

  • Pain-relieving medications: Ibuprofen, for example, can reduce pain and swelling. They are available over-the-counter.
  • Cortisone injections: These can relieve swelling, particularly in the fluid-filled pads that cushion the bones. A doctor will advise about these.

Surgery

Some people with bunions may need surgery.

Depending on the size of the enlargement, misalignment of the toe, and pain experienced, conservative treatments may not be adequate to prevent progressive damage from bunions. In these cases, bunion surgery, known as a bunionectomy, may be advised to remove the bunion and realign the toe. Our doctors utilize hidden MINIMAL INCISION APPROACH when performing surgery. They realize that Aesthetics is just as important in addition to comfort and structural realignment of bunion deformities.

Some conservative treatments often include switching to wider footwear to accommodate the size of the bunion can bring relief, wearing silicone bunion shields, use bunion pads or orthotics (shoe inserts).

If you have pain when you’re walking in flat shoes that should feel comfortable, make an appointment with a podiatrist : 773-205-0106. It could be a bunion or some other problem. Your doctor will look at your foot. They may want to take an X-ray to decide how best to treat your bunion.