Foot problems are among the physical issues you will most likely brush off and let them heal independently. However, ignoring an issue affecting your toes and feet could result in chronic pain or a permanent deformity that will adversely affect your life. Dr. Jaymes Granata and his orthopedic team emphasize personalized care programs to allow their patients to overcome their musculoskeletal complications.

You can get help for the following foot problems at the facility:  

Bunions

Bunions occur because of a structural problem in your foot and toe, preventing your foot from lining up correctly. Since the bone disorder affects your big toe’s bone, it forces it to incline towards your second toe, pushing against it. As a result, your big toe’s joint sticks out, producing a bump that might cause a permanent deformity.  

Wearing an ill-fitting shoe will most likely trigger a bunion. However, tight shoes are not bunions’ underlying causes. There are several interpretations of the development of foot deformity. Factors likely to cause bunions include genetics, foot injury, stress, and present deformities. You can also have a bunion because of certain arthritis types like rheumatoid arthritis.

Your doctor will devise a treatment plan depending on your bunion’s severity and the resulting pain. Treatment options might include:

Non-surgical options

•         Wearing shoes with padded soles and adequate wiggling space for your toes
•         Padding or taping your foot in its rightful position
•         Using padded shoe inserts to distribute your foot’s pressure during movement
•         Pain-relieving medications or cortisone injections may help control your pain

Surgical options

Your doctor will recommend surgery when you:

-Experience pain and inflammation despite trying other treatment options

-Have a severe deformity

-Have toe stiffness

Your surgical options will involve:

•         Removing swollen tissue around the affected joint
•         Realigning one or more bones
•         Removing parts of your bone
•         Fusing your affected joint’s bones permanently

Plantar fasciitis

Your plantar fascia is a ligament connecting your heel to your foot’s front. The thick ligament supports your foot’s arch and absorbs shock, helping you walk. As a result, the ligament experiences lots of wear and tear daily, which might destroy them. When your ligament tears or has inflammation, you will most likely experience stiffness and heel pain that worsens mainly in the morning when you step out of bed.  Failure to contact your doctor for treatment can cause chronic heel pain preventing you from doing your regular physical activities. Additionally, changing your walking style to relieve your plantar fascia pain may result in back, knee, hip, and foot issues.

A surgical procedure will be your doctor’s last option when medications and therapies fail to improve your symptoms. The care provider may partially detach your plantar fascia from your heel to minimize tension. Your doctor can also recommend gastrocnemius recession if you have issues flexing your feet.  The treatment prompts your doctor to lengthen your calf muscle to enhance your ankle motion, thus minimizing pressure on your plantar fascia.  

Home treatments and lifestyle modifications are typically the first suggestions your doctor will advise. However, if the remedies fail to ease your symptoms, call your doctor or schedule an appointment to know how you can benefit from the available treatment options.