Tailor’s Bunion Treatment

The first step to treat Tailor’s bunion or bunionette would be to arrange a consultation and X-rays with our consultant podiatric surgeon, Mr Kaser Nazir. He can then advise whether surgical or non surgical treatments would be most appropriate. This may include:

Nonsurgical Treatment: Treatment for tailor’s bunion is initially is directed at obtaining proper shoes that will accommodate the width of the forefoot. Pads over the area of the bunionette may help relieve some of the pressure and reduce pain. These pads are usually sold in drug and grocery stores. They are small and round with a hole in the middle, like a small doughnut.

Tailor’s Bunionette Surgery: If all else fails, surgery for tailor’s bunion may be recommended to help reduce the deformity. Surgery usually involves removing the prominence of bone underneath the bunion to relieve pressure. Surgery may also be done to realign the fifth metatarsal if the foot has splayed.

Bunionette Removal: To remove the prominence caused by the tailor’s bunion, the surgeon makes a small incision in the skin over the bump. The bump is then removed with a small chisel, and the bone edges are smoothed. Once enough bone has been removed, the skin is closed with small stitches.

Distal Osteotomy If your specialist decides that the angle of the metatarsal is too great the fifth metatarsal bone may be cut and realigned. This is called an osteotomy. Once the surgeon has performed the osteotomy, the bones are realigned and held in position with metal pins. The metal pins remain in place while the bones heal.