A member asked:

How do stop bunyons the side of my foot has a trobbing pain

2 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Dr. Howard Fox answered

Specializes in Podiatry

I : I once asked my dentist if there is anything i can do to stop tartar buildup, and he gave me what i thought to be a pretty snotty answer: "stop breathing." without the attitude, my answer to you is pretty much the same. Bunions are inherited. The gene has "incomplete penetrance, " which means it doesn't penetrate every generation, so it's entirely possible neither of your parents had bunions. But someone had them, and guess what? They gave 'em to you! they do not have anything to do with the shoes you've been wearing or anything else for that matter (although a tight or otherwise "improper" shoe would certainly make them feel worse. There is also no evidence whatsoever that wearing an orthotic, custom or over-the-counter, has any effect on delaying or slowing down the development of bunions. You really have two choices when it comes to bunions: 1) live with it, or b) surgery. Living with it means altering the shoes you wear to make sure there is room for the bony prominence, and wearing a shoe made of a soft leather, suede or deerskin. Surgery can mean anything from a simple removal of a small piece of bone to much more involved procedures involving taking wedges out to realign things and holding everything together with pins or screws. And there are a whole bunch of middle-of-the-road procedures too. The success of bunion surgery lies in having the right one of those procedures for the deformity you have. Of course, even if the right procedure is done and done perfectly well, there is always a chance the bunion can return. If you want a guarantee, you need to go to midas muffler. Now, having said all this, let me also say there are things that can cause pain in a big toe joint that aren't necessarily from a bunion, like arthritis, bursitis, sesamoiditis and other fun things. It is entirely possible the pain you're having is not really from the bunion per se, but rather something else that is treatable to get you out of pain (without doing anything to remove the bone). So if you haven't already done so, either see a podiatrist who is board certified by the american board of podiatric surgery, or an orthopedist who specializes in foot & ankle surgery, as these are the two best types of doctors to consult for bunions. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answered 10/3/2016

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Dr. Lawrence Huppin answered

Specializes in Podiatry

So : So far there is nothing in the medical literature that would indicate you can stop bunions from forming. There is, however, some evidence that a specific type of foot orthotic can probably slow progression of the bunion. A link explaining how that orthotic works is listed below. There is also a lot you can do to reduce or eliminate the pain associated with a bunion. This includes proper shoes with enough width for the bunion, stretching of the shoes - even the use of proper socks. Acrylic socks will reduce friction more than cotton socks and in many cases reduce pain. Orthotics are critical to reduce pain as they act to transfer pressure off of the big toe jonit adn also improve motion and decrease compression in the joint. You can use over-the-counter orthotics to start and if you are still having pain, see a podiatrist about custom orthotics. Surgery should be considered only as a last resort.

Answered 10/3/2016

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