When your favorite shoes stop fitting and that bony bump on your big toe starts barking back, it's time to see someone who treats bunions every day. We diagnose quickly and build a plan you can actually live with.
Conservative care first, Lapiplasty when surgery is the answer.
A bunion — known medically as hallux valgus — is a bony bump that forms on the inside of the foot at the base of the big toe. Despite how it looks, a bunion isn't really a growth of new bone. It's a structural shift: the first metatarsal drifts outward while the big toe leans in toward the second toe, and the joint between them becomes prominent. Over time, the soft tissues stretch, the joint capsule thickens, and the deformity gradually becomes more rigid.
Bunions are far more common in women than in men, and genetics is the single biggest risk factor we see. If your mother or grandmother had bunions, your odds are meaningfully higher. Narrow, pointed, or high-heeled shoes don't usually create a bunion from nothing — but they absolutely accelerate one that's already brewing, and they make every existing bunion hurt more.
At LAOSS, the most common scenarios we treat are: early bunions that ache after a long day, moderate bunions that have started to limit shoe choice and activity, and advanced bunions with stiffness, hammertoe of the second toe, or pain that won't quiet down even in sneakers. The treatment path depends on where you sit on that spectrum — which is why we start with a proper exam and weight-bearing X-rays, not assumptions.
Most of our bunion patients improve substantially with conservative care: shoe changes, orthotics, padding, toe spacers, and targeted anti-inflammatories. When pain still limits how you live, modern corrective surgery — including Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction, scarf osteotomy, and Lapidus procedures — addresses the underlying alignment rather than just shaving down the bump.
A bunion is a deformity that affects the joint at the base of the big toe. It is a bony bump beneath the skin on the inner side of the foot. A bunion starts small, but over time it can grow to become very large. Bunions are more common in women.
Animations licensed from ViewMedica · Swarm Interactive
The bump you see and feel on the side of your foot isn't extra bone — it's the head of the first metatarsal, exposed because the toe above it has shifted out of line. The further out of alignment the joint sits, the harder it is for the surrounding tendons, ligaments, and joint capsule to keep the toe tracking straight. Left untreated, bunions tend to slowly worsen.
Bunions are one of the more visually obvious orthopedic problems — but how a bunion looks is only part of the story. Two patients can have nearly identical bumps; one is barely symptomatic, the other can't get through a shift at work. The job of the exam isn't to confirm what you can already see in the mirror. It's to figure out how much the deformity is contributing to your pain, how rigid the joint has become, and what's likely to happen if we do nothing.
At LAOSS, your first visit is built to give you answers the same day. We start with a focused history — when the bump first showed up, what shoes you live in, how the pain has changed over months or years, what activities it's started taking from you. Family history matters: a bunion that started at 25 in someone whose mother and aunt had surgery is a different conversation than a bunion that crept in at 60.
The physical exam looks at the whole foot, not just the bump. We check the mobility of the first MTP joint, the alignment and flexibility of the second toe, the shape of your arch, and how your foot loads when you stand and walk. Calluses tell us where pressure is actually going.
Standing X-rays are critical for bunions — a film taken lying down underestimates the deformity. We measure the hallux valgus angle (between the big toe and the first metatarsal) and the intermetatarsal angle (between the first and second metatarsals). Those two numbers, plus your symptoms and activity goals, determine whether you're a candidate for shoe changes and orthotics, a minimally invasive correction, or a more substantial procedure like Lapiplasty.
Most patients leave the first visit with a diagnosis, an explanation of their imaging, and a written plan.
Bunion care at LAOSS starts with the least-invasive option that can realistically get you back to comfortable walking, standing, and the shoes you want to wear. Many patients never need surgery. For those who do, modern corrective procedures — including Lapiplasty — address the underlying alignment rather than just trimming the bump.
Non-surgical options designed to offload the joint, calm inflammation, and slow progression. For mild-to-moderate bunions, this is often enough.
When conservative care has been honestly tried and pain still limits your life, modern bunion surgery realigns the joint at its source.
Bunion surgery is among the most technique-sensitive procedures in foot & ankle work. The same X-ray in the hands of two surgeons can lead to two very different operations — and two very different outcomes a year later.
Our podiatry team treats bunions every week. We start conservatively, image properly, and only recommend surgery when it's the right answer — not the default one.
If most of these match your situation, an evaluation with one of our bunion specialists is the right next step.
These signs typically point toward an in-person evaluation with a foot & ankle specialist.
Your first visit is built to give you an answer the same day, not just another referral.
Bunion recovery has changed dramatically in the last decade. Modern fixation lets most patients put weight on the foot far sooner than the old rule of "six weeks of crutches." Timelines below are typical for Lapiplasty and similar fixed-plate procedures — your specialist will tailor yours.
Early recovery focuses on protecting the correction, controlling swelling, and getting you moving safely in a surgical boot.
The foot transitions out of the boot and into a supportive shoe as bone healing progresses on imaging.
Once bone healing is solid, the focus shifts to rebuilding strength, returning to impact activity, and protecting the correction long-term.
We talk through the risks and benefits with every patient — informed consent is a conversation, not a form.
Every foot surgery carries a small set of standard risks. We screen, prepare, and monitor for these on every patient.
Some risks are tied specifically to bunion correction. We discuss these openly so you can weigh them against the benefits.
At LAOSS, bunion care is led by board-certified podiatric foot & ankle specialists who treat hallux valgus every single week. From your first visit through any conservative care, surgery, and recovery, the same specialist stays with you. We focus on accurate diagnosis, realistic expectations, and the right procedure for your foot — not a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether you're hoping to avoid surgery or you're already past that point, our team will walk you through every option and the trade-offs of each.
I put off doing anything about my bunion for a decade. Dr. Wang walked me through every option, no pressure. Ended up doing Lapiplasty and I'm back in normal sneakers — wish I'd done it sooner.
Book a visit with a bunion specialist at any of our eight Los Angeles–area offices. Most patients leave the first visit with a clear plan.
