A bunion is a painful, bony deformity that protrudes from the inside of a patient’s foot at the joint of their big toe. Bunions develop slowly and occur when the bone structure of the big toe has been altered, leading to the characteristically painful red bump.
The alteration of the big toe bone structure happens when the bones that make up its middle joint (the metatarsophalangeal or MTP) become misaligned.
A severe bunion may force the big toe to be pointed directly at the other toes of the foot and can be exacerbated by tight-fitting footwear.
So this causes the tip of your big toe to get pulled toward the smaller toes, forcing the joint at the base to stick out. They can form on one or both feet and is a very common condition in older adults.
Smaller bunions can develop on the first joint of your little toe, and it’s also called bunionettes or Tailor’s bunion.
The causes of this condition are actually unknown, but there are a few theories about how it develops. But the factors may include:
- Foot type;
- Stress and injuries;
- Deformities presented at birth.
There are a lot of disagreements on whether the type of shoes may cause or contribute to the bunion’s development.
But there are some risk factors that may increase your changes to developing bunions, such as:
- Heredity: there’s a tendency to develop bunions as a result of inherited problems with the structure and/or anatomy of your foot.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: having this inflammatory condition may make you more likely to develop bunions.
- Shoes: even with the disagreements, high-heeled, tight or narrow shoes may help the bunions to occur.
There are any complications with bunions?
People with bunions may have some complications, such as:
- Bursitis: a painful condition that happens when the fluid-filled pads that cushion the bones become inflamed.
- Hammertoe: an abnormal bend that occurs in the middle join of the toe, usually on your second, third and fourth toes.
- Metatarsalgia: a condition that causes pain in the ball of your foot.
