Bunions are a common foot problem for many people today. In many cases, they can just be a mere inconvenience and an unsightly deformity of the foot but quite often they are a painful reminder of bone growth gone wrong.
What Is A Bunion?
A bunion is an easily recognizable enlargement of the inner part of the joint at the big toe. It is usually the result of a misalignment of the toe. If left for a prolonged period of time without treatment, it can lead to additional bone formation causing the big toe to point and rotate across the smaller toes.
Bunions usually start small but are also progressive and will eventually lead to other problems with the toe. A condition called bursitis, a small sac filled with fluid, can develop and become inflamed causing redness, tenderness, and pain. Deeper joint pain can lead to arthritis as well.
What Causes Bunions?
While they may occur both in men and women, bunions are more often found in women and are the result of either wearing shoes that are too tight, or they can develop over time from making constant abnormal motions with the feet (as in the case of professional dancers). Bone deformities, arthritis or other painful foot conditions may also appear.
While the exact cause may not easily be identified, there also seem to be some genetic factors at play as well. Many professionals often suspect poor blood circulation as a possible culprit along with cases of peripheral neuropathy and Raynaud's disease.
Symptoms Of Bunions:
As you understand better what is a bunion, you'll begin to recognize the symptoms. In many people, there are no physical symptoms of bunions. However, in others there could be pain when walking or wearing shoes. The pressure that the shoe puts on the inflamed area could cause this. This may often be misdiagnosed as gout as the symptoms are pretty much the same.
Treatment For Bunions:
Finally, when understanding what is a bunion, it is essential to know how it is treated. In most cases, nonsurgical treatments can help to relieve the pain. This may involve getting enough rest and wearing wider shoes. Switching to flat shoes with a supportive sole instead of wearing high-heels can take much of the pressure off of the inflamed area.
The next level of treatment could be taking a round of anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the inflammation. You might want to follow that with a cold pack application, wearing special shields or pads to help reduce the amount of pressure on the affected area. In more extreme cases, your doctor may recommend that you get an injection of cortisone to help ease the discomfort.
When the inflammation and the pain persists, your doctor may recommend that you have a surgical operation called a bunionectomy. This can correct the deformity and bring relief from the pain. The procedure will remove the excess bone growth and realign the big toe. Not all surgeries of this type are successful so it is important that after your surgery you follow the doctor's directions carefully. Only then can you reduce the chance of surgical failure.