Bunions Specialist

Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic

Podiatrists & Foot and Ankle Surgeons located in Normal, IL & Pontiac, IL

More than 50% of women in the United States have bunions, but you don’t have to live with the persistent foot pain they cause. At Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic, Craig Cortese, DPM, FACFAS, Steve Yeschek, DPM, and Carl Cortese, BS, DPM, FACFAS, offer expert care and surgical treatments for painful bunions and other foot and ankle conditions. If you’re ready to seek treatment for your bunions, call either office in Normal and Pontiac, Illinois, or schedule an appointment online.

Bunions Q & A

What is a bunion?

Bunions are a deformity of the foot that occurs when the alignment of the joint at the base of the big toe changes.

As the alignment changes, your toe joint becomes more prominent and protrudes outward. Your big toe rotates and pushes against your second toe, sometimes overlapping it, or causing the second toe to ride upward.

While bunions usually affect the big toe, they can sometimes occur in the baby toe. In some cases, they can lead to other painful foot conditions like hammertoe, bursitis, and metatarsalgia.

There are several types of bunions, including:

Positional bunion

A positional bunion occurs when your joint becomes enlarged due to new bone growth. The pressure created then pushes the big toe toward the other toes, causing the tendons to tighten and pull the big toe further out of alignment.

Structural bunion

This type of bunion occurs when the angle between the bones of the first and second toes is larger than normal, causing the big toe to deviates toward the other toes. In serious cases, the second and third toes may also slant.

Tailor’s bunion

A tailor’s bunion, also known as a bunionette, is a bunion that on your little toe. They often occur due to inappropriate footwear.

Bunions are more common in women than in men.

What causes a bunion?

Bunions have several causes, including hereditary, congenital deformities, and medical conditions that put stress on your foot. Wearing tight or narrow shoes may or may not lead to bunions forming, but they can exacerbate your symptoms.

In addition to a prominent area of bone on the outside of your foot at the base of your big toe, signs of bunions include:

  • Calluses or corns on or between the big and second toes
  • Pain in your foot at the base of your big toe
  • Reduced mobility in your big toe


You might also experience redness, swelling, or tenderness in your big toe joint.

How are bunions diagnosed and treated?

Not all bunions require medical attention, but if you’re suffering from persistent pain, decreased movement, or difficulty finding shoes that fit, treatment is available.

During your appointment, your doctor at Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic can usually diagnose bunions through your symptoms and physical examination. They might also recommend digital X-rays to search for other conditions like arthritis or gout.

Your doctor might recommend nonsurgical treatments to relieve your discomfort. These might include:

  • Pain relievers
  • Change in shoe type or wider shoes
  • Bunion shields or pads
  • Custom insole orthotics
  • Cortisone injections at the pain site


If your bunion is severe or your discomfort continues, the doctors of Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic use multiple surgical techniques individualized to your bunion deformity. They also perform the newest techniques in surgical bunion correction.

Learn more about treating your bunions, call Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic for more information, or schedule an appointment online today.