Tailor’s Bunion

Tailor’s Bunion

Tailor’s Bunion is a condition that is similar to a bunion of the forefoot. It is called Tailor’s Bunion because it was thought that tailors sat crosslegged and caused this protrusion on the outside aspect of the foot. It is usually characterized by pain, redness and inflammation.

Nonsurgical Treatment Conservative measures to control this deformity include wider shoes, and stretching of the shoes. Sometimes callus formations, either along the side of the bone or directly on the bottom of the foot are associated with Tailor’s bunions.

Medical approach sometimes includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, and sometimes acetaminophen. You can also use products such as those listed at the right to ease immediate discomfort. However, these measures whould only be used short term. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications can cause stomach irritation and also may cause joint destruction.

A better approach is to realign the foot by the use of orthotics. By mechanically realigning the osseous structures of the foot, pressure can be relieved. Sometimes cortisone injections are used to reduce the pain and swelling associated with this condition.

Surgery: The surgical option is employed to realign the bones that affect this condition. Usually this consists of either smoothing down the protruding portion of bone, or osteotomy, which is a procedure that realigns the bone by cutting through the fifth metatarsal and fixating the bone with the pin, bone screw or in some rare cases an external fixator.

All of the surgical procedures mentioned above require an anesthetic in either a form of local anesthetic, sedation or a general anesthetic.

Recovery:Usually a cast boot is employed to assist with weightbearing, following surgery. Some doctors prefer their patients not put weight on the foot, and recommend crutches. Usually however, the patient is able to move around without assistance. The healing times vary, depending on which surgical procedure is employed.