Bunions and Foot Pain

Bunions usually happen to develop around the base of big toe and could be easily distinguished by an abnormal looking bump. When the big toe gets partially dislocated, leaving the metatarsal bone exposed, this marks the beginning of a bunion. With the passage of time the joint could result into swelling as well as deformity due to which the bump can cause a lot of pain and inconvenience.

There are several factors that might result into development of bunions, but one of the most prominent one is the kind of footwear we use. For example; constrictive shoes, high heels and shoes with narrow toe box. Other factors responsible for bunions are injuries, arthritis, inherited structural defects, etc. Not to mention the smaller variety of bunions that are also known as 'tailor's bunions' or 'bunionettes' could happen on the joint of your little toe.

A common sign of bunion is the growth of a bump on outer side of your foot. Some other signs would include redness, tenderness or swelling at the region of displaced joint and the skin which is at the base of a toe might turn thick or hard. It is also quite common for calluses and corns to develop at the spot where the overlapping of first and second toes takes place.

With time bunions grow more painful, especially when there is a serious inflammation in the tissues surrounding it. This might later result into limited movement of big toe that could cause difficulty with your daily activities. In some cases the problem becomes so serious that it becomes impossible to wear shoes. Not only this, the displaced big toe might as well cause what we call 'hammertoe' development.

Bunions happen regardless of age and are permanent in nature which can only be removed by the means of surgery. But in most of the cases people prevent undergoing any form of surgery until and unless it becomes too painful or serious for them. Most individuals like to choose alternative or traditional treatments for bunions in order to get relief from pain or to prevent any further growth of it.

One of the simplest treatments for bunions is to bring changes to your footwear habit. You need to go for that footwear that are comfortable and have plenty of space for your toes. Do not wear footwear that is tight with little space for your toe to fit in, also make sure not to wear high heels at all. You can even opt of bunion pads that help in cushioning up the protrusion and decrease friction on your skin. This will reduce pressure on your affected region and will reduce inflammation.

One can even use orthotic devices like padded shoe inserts that could help by evenly distributing pressure throughout your weight bearing activities. This will minimize your pain and will further prevent the condition to get worse. Most people find over the counter orthotics to work pretty fine for them but those who are suffering from serious deformities with regard to their foot structure might need customized inserts. Though anti-inflammatory medication can bring down discomfort up to some level but they are not regarded as a permanent solution.

One can easily prevent development of bunions by wearing comfortable shoes that have plenty of space for the toes. Also, last but not the least there should be ample space between the shoe's end and tip of the longest toe.