Bunions

Bunions & Cutting-Edge Treatment

Bunions, also referred to as hallux valgus, are a common foot deformity that can be very painful. Our doctors at Foot & Ankle Specialists of Central PA are highly trained to treat a wide variety of foot and ankle ailments. We strive to meet our patients’ foot and ankle needs by providing the most advanced treatments in our clean, comfortable, cutting-edge facility. We are the experts when it comes to the non-surgical and surgical care of bunion deformities.

Bunion Causes

Bunions are much more than a bump on the side of the big toe. They’re complex deformities most often caused by an inherited faulty mechanical structure of the foot. You don’t inherit bunions. You inherit the foot type that makes you prone to developing a bunion. Bunions are a progressive disorder that slowly produces the characteristic bump, which becomes increasingly prominent.

bunion foot problem

Despite misconceptions, wearing shoes that crowd the toes won’t cause bunions, but it can make the deformity get progressively worse. Improper footwear combined with spending extended periods of time on your feet can also make symptoms appear sooner or aggravate existing symptoms, such as:

  • Pain or soreness
  • Inflammation and redness
  • A burning sensation
  • Numbness
  • Padding placed over the bunion to help minimize pain.
  • Selecting footwear with a wide toe box and without pointed toes or heels to prevent aggravating your condition.
  • Activity modification to avoid doing anything that causes bunion pain.
  • Medications to reduce pain and inflammation.
  • Icing several times per day to reduce pain and inflammation.
  • Custom orthotic devices.
  • Injection therapy to treat the inflamed bursa with corticosteroids.

Surgical & Nonsurgical Bunion Treatment

Bunions are readily apparent, making diagnosis straightforward. To fully evaluate your condition, our foot and ankle specialists take x-rays to assess the degree of your deformity. Bunions don’t go away and usually get worse. Once we evaluate your bunion, we develop a treatment plan suited to your needs.

Nonsurgical bunion treatment aims at easing your bunion pain, but won’t reverse the deformity. Treatments include:

When non-surgical bunion treatment doesn’t relieve your bunion pain or your pain interferes with daily activities, our foot and ankle specialists may recommend surgical treatment. We’ll discuss your options and decide together whether surgery is best for you. Surgical bunion treatments are designed to correct bony structure and soft tissue changes in your foot to effectively reduce pain and deformity.

Male feet in water

Advanced Surgical Bunion Treatment

We offer Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction surgery, the most advanced surgical bunion treatment available. We do more than remove your bump, we address it in three dimensions to correct the root of the problem and get you back on your feet within days of your surgery. Contact us at 717-620-8225 to learn more about our cutting-edge bunion treatment or submit an appointment request online.

All in all, everyone and everything was perfect with me for me. Dr. Lauren, such a wonderful person. My visit with her have been successful and just great. I will recommend her/the practice to others. Look forward to my next visit.”

Laurie M.

The office is really beautiful and clean. Very caring staff and Dr. Clarke took time to explain things to me. The doctor and staff really tried to get to the cause of my feet and ankle pain. They found the problem and the solution. He kept me relaxed even though I was going to get injections for pain and inflammation.

I highly recommend this office. FANTASTIC!!

Rita M.

“Prompt, attentive, and knowledgeable are the three best adjectives to describe my visit. I can’t wait to start running again, and I know that will be possible from the care I’m receiving from Dr. Leonard.”

Dayna L.