Banish Those Bunions

Surgery for bony protrusion behind little toe has high success rate

SATURDAY, March 1, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Surgery to treat tailor's bunion is 96 percent successful in correcting the deformity.

That's the conclusion of research in the current issue of the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery.

Tailor's bunion is a painful bony protrusion behind the little toe. These bunions develop from an enlargement of the joint behind the little toe and occur mainly in women.

Pain and inflammation in the area of the little toe, gait abnormalities, discomfort when wearing dress shoes, lesions on the little toe, ulcers and infection are common symptoms of tailor's bunion.

Surgery is used to treat people with persistent symptoms that can't be relieved by taking anti-inflammatories or wearing wider shoes.

Several kinds of surgery can be used to correct tailor's bunion. These include shaving excess bone to remove the bunion and procedures that realign the joint behind the little toe. A podiatric foot and ankle surgeon can determine the most appropriate surgical technique for a patient.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about bunions.

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