If you have any problems with your feet, then it can make it nearly impossible to stand or walk without having intense pain. Fortunately, a foot doctor in Chatham, Ill., can examine your feet along with collecting X-rays to determine if you have a serious underlying issue with your feet. There are numerous types of foot problems, including bunions that cause a deformity of the large toe, leading to stiffness in the other toes and the soles of the feet. This condition is often caused by wearing shoes that are too small for several years or developing arthritis in the feet.
Proper Shoe Size
A bunion is a bony growth on the outside of the foot, and it develops around the joint of the big toe. When you visit a foot doctor in Chatham, you will need treatment for the condition that includes padding the area around the bunion or adding customized pads to your shoes. The physician will measure your feet so that you can buy shoes that are longer or wider to avoid any additional pressure on the bunion. Massaging your foot can also alleviate the discomfort from a bunion, or you may want to soak your feet in a whirling footbath.
You May Need Bunion Surgery
When the bunion doesn’t go away from these methods, it is possible to have surgery to remove the growth. This will require a local anesthetic and an incision so that the foot doctor in Chatham can remove the bony growth along with positioning the bones correctly in the deformed toe. It can take two to eight weeks for your toe and foot to heal from this type of surgery, and you must reduce your mobility during this time. Contact Mitchell Foot & Ankle.
