Bunions and hammertoes are very common and are both progressive deformities of the foot. As they progress, they tend to get more severe in both pain and deformity. There are some conservative treatments (such as orthotics), but really, the only way to correct a deformity is surgery. I tell my patients NOT to wait until they are painful for treatment because the longer you wait, the more involved the surgical correction needs to be.
Your mother's medical history, circulation status and healing potential will determine if she is still a candidate for surgery but she should not wait any longer to have her foot evaluated by a podiatric surgeon. Most orthopedic surgeons do not have specific training in the foot (only about 5% do) so I would suggest the best and most qualified person to evaluate her is a podiatric physician. You can find one in your area by contacting the American Podiatric Medical Association on their web site "Find a Podiatric Physician." Please don't wait any longer, it sounds like your mother needs to be seen soon!
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Bunions and hammertoes are very common and are both progressive deformities of the foot. As they progress, they tend to get more severe in both pain and deformity. There are some conservative treatments (such as orthotics), but really, the only way to correct a deformity is surgery. I tell my patients NOT to wait until they are painful for treatment because the longer you wait, the more involved the surgical correction needs to be.
Your mother's medical history, circulation status and healing potential will determine if she is still a candidate for surgery but she should not wait any longer to have her foot evaluated by a podiatric surgeon. Most orthopedic surgeons do not have specific training in the foot (only about 5% do) so I would suggest the best and most qualified person to evaluate her is a podiatric physician. You can find one in your area by contacting the American Podiatric Medical Association on their web site "Find a Podiatric Physician." Please don't wait any longer, it sounds like your mother needs to be seen soon!
July 29, 2008 - 1:07pmThis Comment
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