“I’m pretty active,” says Hou Purdy. “I’m on my feet a lot, and when they started to hurt me, it kind of threw me off.”

Hou had bunions on both feet, and found she had to make changes to her footwear that she truly didn’t want to make.

“It bothered me when I wore dress shoes,” she explains. “My feet were really hurting, and I ended up buying flat shoes. The only thing is I had to get a size bigger than my normal size.”

Hou made an appointment with board-certified podiatrist Keith J. Kalish, DPM.

“He was very nice, friendly, and very knowledgeable,” she says.

About bunions

Dr. Kalish is one of a select group of podiatric surgeons who hold dual certifications from the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and the American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics. He notes that in his practice, he offers comprehensive treatment for podiatric problems.

“We treat all painful conditions,” he says, “from plantar fasciitis to bunions, hammertoes, heel spurs, neuromas, diabetic wounds, and skin, bone, and muscle problems.”

A bunion is the misalignment of the big toe joint, typically caused by incorrect foot mechanics. Dr. Kalish notes, however, that not all bunions are as severe as those which gave Hou so much anguish.

“I see a lot of bunions that don’t hurt, and in those instances I suggest that patients leave them alone,” he explains. “For a minor bunion that might just occasionally ache, I’ll recommend putting ice on the area to bring down inflammation, wearing a rounder-toed shoe, or taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory.”

Because not all bunions respond to conservative treatment, in cases like Hou’s, surgical correction may be required to alleviate the pain.

“With bunions, sometimes conservative treatment doesn’t get you the results you’re looking for,” explains Dr. Kalish, “and we recommend surgical correction of the deformity. Fortunately, the procedure can be performed in an outpatient setting, and for a large majority of the procedures we do, the patient can ambulate that day.

“They may be in a boot for a few weeks after surgery, but they can usually walk right away and resume most normal activities. I usually recommend at least a proper walking shoe and maybe orthotic arch supports, just to maintain comfort afterwards.”

Care for the entire family

Hou was so thrilled with the results of her first bunion procedure that she had the same surgery performed on the other foot a few months later.

“I just did everything Dr. Kalish told me, and it turned out really well: I can wear all my shoes now, and I don’t have any pain when I’m walking,” she marvels. “My feet are as good as they were in high school!”

She says that Dr. Kalish and his staff are both highly experienced and sympathetic.

“He’s knowledgeable but he’s also very nice, and all the nursing staff are also very nice. They’re excellent. In fact,” Hou adds, “my husband started having a problem with walking, so he actually went to him, too.

“I will refer everybody to him for any foot problem.”

FHCN - Michael J. Sahno