WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BUNIONS ARE LEFT UNTREATED?

Will my bunion get worse without treatment?

Unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases the answer is yes. The difficulty is that most bunions don’t hurt for a number of years but the tricky bit is that when they start to hurt, there may already be some osteoarthritis forming. The problem with this is that once you get osteoarthritis, unfortunately it is not reversible and can lead to chronic pain.

The other big difficulty is that if you put off treatment of your bunion, you may end up in a position where surgery is your only option. Conservative care is helpful in most cases, however it is important to be aware that if a bunion gets too advanced then benefits can be limited.

Why will my bunion get worse without treatment?

A bunion is a deviation of the big toe that is commonly associated with a bony growth overlying the big toe and usually leads to joint wear and tear. A bunion is caused by the way you stand and the way you walk, which is caused by the alignment of your foot and ankle. These traits are inherited and unless they are treated, you will continue to walk in a way that will contribute to a bunion.

The reason that bunions are so prevalent is that your big toe takes between 2 to 5 times your body weight depending on the activity. If that force is going the wrong way through your big toe, eventually like any joint, it will wear out. When that joint wears it means you will get a bony lump (what we commonly call a bunion) and the joint often end up with degenerative change in the joint or osteoarthritis.

What will happen if I don’t treat my bunion?

There are few key concerns if bunions are not treated sooner rather than later:-

1. The bony growth grows so large you have difficulty wearing shoes
2. You end up with painful osteoarthritis in the big toe joint
3. It affects balance because the big toe is hugely important in the way your balance and proprioception work
4. You may end up with chronic osteoarthritis which cannot be reversed
5. You may need to have surgery and the toe may need to be fused

The upside is that there is a well-established treatment method for bunions that can improve the alignment of your big toe and address the underlying cause of the bunion itself. It is a gentle hands-on technique where we can correct the alignment of the joints and then strengthen the muscles around those joints so that the changes are long term.

Our Bunion Treatment Process

At Sydney Bunion Clinic, Foot Mobilisation Therapy is our speciality and we have successfully treated thousands of patients, helping them avoid bunion surgery.

We offer an initial Bunion Assessment, where we run through a series of examination and evaluation to determine the cause and condition of your bunion and assess the best treatment options for bunion treatment or correction.

Your Bunion Assessment Includes:

• An Initial consultation
• Biomechanical Examination
• Gait Analysis
• Foot Mobilisation Therapy Evaluation
• Diagnosis and Explanation of the underlying cause of your bunion
• A Personalised Treatment Plan

To book your initial bunion assessment, or to find out more on our bunion treatment options contact us on 8966 9300. Ready to get started? Book an assessment online today!

Tags: Bunion Treatment Sydney

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