From our Mayo podiatry clinic, Podi Footcare offers a full range of bunion treatments and bunion pain management solutions. A bunion is the term used to describe the lumpy bone that forms on the side of a person’s big toe.
Bunions are a slight deformity that is most commandingly found on the side of the big toe although smaller bunions – bunionettes – can also develop on the joint of the little toe.
Symptoms of a Bunions
One of the main symptoms of a bunion is a hard lump forming on the side of the foot
Another common symptom is the big toe pointing inwards, toward the patient’s other toes.
A less common symptom is swelling or a redness forming over the lump by the big toe.
Some bunion patients report a pain that runs along the bottom of their feet. This pain is usually exacerbated when wearing shoes or walking.
The treatments and advice our podiatrists may offer a bunion patient include:
What causes bunions?
Bunions happen when some of the bones on the foot move out of place. This causes the big toe to move inward, toward the other toes. This causes the joint of the big toe to stick out, forming a lump on the foot. This lump is the bunion.
Bunions may happen due to the footwear a person’s wears, the natural shape of their foot or an illness like arthritis.
Are Bunions hereditary?
Bunions are not considered hereditary, however, the shape of some people’s feet make them more susceptible to the formation of a bunion.
So although the bunion is not hereditary, the shape of the person’s foot – that is susceptible to bunions – may be an inherited trait.