Bunions

Bunions are one of the most common problems we deal with at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry. These bulges on the side of the foot at the base of the toe are the result of a bone deformity, and while they are not always painful, they are often inconvenient.


The causes of bunions are poorly understood, although they mostly occur in women and seem to be correlated with genetics and arthritis. They are caused by the big toe pushing against its neighbor, pushing the big toe’s base out of alignment. Some people get bunions on the little toe for the same reason. The bulge may be red and swollen and the misalignment may put stress on other structures in the foot, resulting in inflammation and skin damage.


The only permanent solution for a bunion is surgery to cut away the protuberance and realign the rest of the toe bones. However, doctors often observe that swelling decreases when the patient wears shoes that are roomier and provide better structural support. Podiatrists can help patients to get the right orthotic device.


Dr. Frank Killian runs Mercer-Ocean Podiatry. For the location at 2103 Whitehorse Mercerville Road, Hamilton Township, New Jersey, 08619, call 609-585-3200. For the location at 202 Rte 37 W, Suite 4, Toms River, New Jersey, 08755, call 732-557-4266. Visit New Jersey Foot.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Clipping Toenails

Clipping your toenails correctly is the key to avoiding an ingrown nail. But many people are misinformed about this basic aspect of footcare, and during the summer, people are paying more attention to their bare feet and wondering how to trim their nails correctly. If you’re diabetic, this may be something that you’ll always need to be cautious about, but for most people at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry in northern New Jersey, the following advice will keep their toes safe and presentable. It’s a good idea to have separate clippers for the toenails and fingernails. Toenail clippers are a little larger, and using separate clippers will reduce the spread of bacteria. The toenails should be clean when they’re cut, but unless they’re extremely thick, they shouldn’t be wet. A wet nail is at greater risk of tearing. As you cut, go straight across, using a few small trims. You don’t want your nails to be rounded off, or they’ll be at greater risk of growing into the skin and causing a hangnail. Inst
Read more

Sever's Disease

Do you recall suffering frequent heel pain as a child? If you do, that’s not unusual; children’s bones haven’t fully fused together, and they are more vulnerable to overuse injuries than adults. However, nobody likes seeing their child in pain, and if a child frequently suffers from sore heels, there may be a biomechanical issue at play. At Mercer-Ocean Podiatry, we assist patients of all ages, so we thought it would be a good idea to explain Sever’s Disease, a common source of childhood foot problems, in more detail. Sever’s disease, or calcaneal apophysitis, is inflammation of the growth plate connecting the back of the heel bone to the bone’s main body. The back of the heel bone is where the Achilles tendon, one of the strongest tendons in the body, attaches. When the calf muscles or the tendon itself are tight, the tendon will pull the heel up and backwards, causing soreness in the soft growth plate. The calf muscles are likely to tighten up after a person has been running and jum
Read more

Choosing Shoes for Children

The doctors at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry get a lot of questions from patients about shoes, and how to choose the best shoes for their families.  Children three and older experience foot growth at the rate of one-half a foot size every four to six months, but a growth spurt can cause a child’s feet can grow up to two sizes in a six month period.   So how can you keep their feet comfy, without going broke from buying new shoes?  Leave room for growth when selecting.  There should always be extra room for a child’s foot to grow in the toe area or ‘box’ of the shoe.  A good measure for this extra wiggle room could be the width of one of your fingers.  From the tip of the child’s big toe to the tip of the shoe, extra space the length of one finger width should do. As kids age, they put their shoes through a lot, and luckily most shoes are made to withstand some of this wear and tear.  Before tossing every scuffed pair, look around the edge of the sole for wear in the material.  This is a sign t
Read more