The consequences of ignoring a Bunion in Sugar Land (2024)

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The consequences of ignoring a Bunion in Sugar Land? ›

Since this joint carries a lot of the body's weight while walking, bunions can cause extreme pain if left untreated. The MTP joint itself may become stiff and sore, making even the wearing of shoes difficult or impossible.

If left untreated, a bunion can cause arthritis, especially if the joint in the big toe has sustained extensive, long-term damage. Bunions may cause the cartilage in the joint to deteriorate. While bunions can be remedied through surgery, arthritis and the possibility of chronic pain are not curable.

Ignoring a bunion can lead to serious complications. Without bunion treatment, bunions can continue to grow. They will push your big toe inward towards the neighboring toe, which can be painful. Likewise, they can grow so large that is painful to wear shoes.

Why bunions need attention. The MTP joint helps us bear and distribute weight during a range of activities. A bunion at this critical junction of bones, tendons, and ligaments can seriously impair the foot's functioning. For one thing, a bunion on the big toe can damage the other toes.

A bunion can hurt and make it hard to walk. Shoes may rub on the bunion, causing pain, blisters, calluses, or sores. You could also get skin and bone infections around the bunion, especially if you have diabetes or peripheral arterial disease.

This type of treatment can include taking anti-inflammatory drugs, maintaining a healthy weight, wearing comfortable shoes with a wide toe box, using gel-filled pads, toe spacers, bunion splints, and shoe inserts.

Bunions can worsen over time and become painful if your shoes are not an adequate width for your foot. High-heeled shoes also influence the development of a bunion by increasing pressure on the forefoot. As bunions become worse, they can become painful or the lesser toes can become painful.

Bunions develop gradually over time. Without the right care, like changing your footwear or using orthotics, bunions can get worse over time. As a person gets older and ages or gains weight, our feet spread and that worsens the problems already in place or triggers the development of bunions.

You may need bunion surgery if you have severe foot pain that happens even when walking or wearing flat, comfortable shoes. Surgery may also be needed when chronic big toe inflammation and swelling isn't relieved with rest or medicines.

Once a bunion starts to form, it can't be reversed. But the right shoes can help relieve foot pain so you can live your life. The right shoes can also help alleviate pressure on your toe joint.

How can I shrink my bunions naturally? ›

Is bunion surgery worth it? This will be up to each patient. But in short, if your bunion pain was keeping you from walking, doing the activities you liked, or exercising regularly, then the surgery is worth it. You won't only regain the freedom of moving around pain-free, but you will also protect your future health.

Therapeutic massage, while not a cure, can help address the pain associated with bunions, decrease swelling, and increase the mobility of the joint. A routine of massage can help slow the progression of the bunion and delay or prevent surgical intervention.

Symptoms often progress as the bunion becomes more severe with a more prominent bump and big toe deviation under or over the smaller toes. However, the treatment of bunions is more complex than removing the bony growth you can visually see. Surgical correction is necessary to get you back on your feet.

Bunion Surgery Is Not Always Successful.

Prolonged swelling, infection, and deep vein thrombosis can result from this treatment. Some of the other possible complications include over- or under-correction, loss of correction, joint stiffness, and nerve entrapment.

Increased Pain

In some cases, the nerves become damaged and cause numbness. If you refuse to seek bunion treatment, the pain will likely worsen, especially if you continue to wear ill-fitting shoes. The longer you put off bunion treatment, the higher the chances the pain and discomfort will increase over time.

The main symptom is usually pain and redness at the bump itself, but patients may also feel pain at the ball of the foot, and stiffness in the big toe joint. Symptoms often progress as the bunion becomes more severe with a more prominent bump and big toe deviation under or over the smaller toes.

As a bunion becomes more advanced, the bursa, fluid-filled sacs cushioning the joints, become inflamed and painful. This can become a chronic condition, leading to debilitating pain and inflammation. Left untreated, the bursa can rupture or become infected.