When you hear the word bunion, you might be thinking that’s just an old person’s condition, but it’s estimated that a third of the US population’s feet are impacted.
“It was like I was having jabbing pains up my leg and just throbbing, tingling and stuff like that,” said Jenneka Gherian, a 17-year old from Lester, Iowa.
Bunions Can Develop in Younger People
“Bunions aren't as common in younger people, but they are usually genetic and usually when they start to develop in younger people, they're just not as painful and bothersome until you get older,” said Brian Dix, DPM with Avera Orthopedics.
Gherian says there were a lot of activities that she missed out on throughout her childhood because of the pain and discomfort in her feet.
“I couldn’t run a lot or play sports. My family’s very into playing basketball and I couldn't do any sports without having pain,” said Gherian.
In addition to the bunions, Gherian also has a condition called metatarsus adductus. This is where the bones in her feet turn in, in addition to the bones in her big toe also turning. Which doesn't allow for a quick correction of the bunion. To fix this, Dr. Dix first needed to repair the metatarsus adductus in her second and third toes.
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Surgical Treatment That's Less Invasive
“What's unique now, though, is we used to have to make all those cuts by hand. So now there are jigs and instruments out there which we can put onto the foot and help get the correction that we need. But it's reproducible every time to get the correction to correct the second and third metatarsals and then to correct the bunion,” said Dr. Dix.
“So I had my left one done first and then I had my right foot done this past February,” said Gherian.
During surgery, Gherian underwent an osteotomy, where Dr. Dix took a wedge of bone out of her second and third metatarsals, which allowed him to pivot the bones back into correct alignment. After that he was able to correct the bunion by turning her big toe also back into correct and straight alignment. In most cases, bunions are caused by genetics and exacerbated by tight or ill-fitting shoes. For many years, the common practice was to wait until a bunion became too painful before recommending surgery, but early intervention and new technology are changing that belief.
Early Bunion Treatment Decreases Recurrence
“What we found is actually if we can fix bunions sooner before they get arthritis down in them, then we can correct it before there’s a bigger issue and we can do different procedures that can preserve the first metatarsal joint where the bunion is. Also we found by correcting it back farther in the foot, we found that the correction is able to last longer and the chance of recurrence is much lower,” said Dr. Dix.
After surgery, both of Gherian's feet are back to full weight bearing, meaning she can finally be free of the pain and take full advantage of her new found freedoms.
“Because my foot shrank a few centimeters after the surgery, now I can fit into the shoes that I wanted to fit in. I can work now and I won't have near as much pain, obviously sometimes your feet still hurt by the end of the day, but otherwise, no throbbing, no jabbing pains or anything. So I can do everything!” said Gherian.
If you’re experiencing bunion-related foot pain the best place to start is by telling your primary care provider and developing a care plan. If conservative measures aren’t working they can direct you to the next level of care and help get you the relief you need.
