The average American walks about three miles every day just going about their normal business of working, running errands, and doing tasks around the home. For the person who has chronic foot pain, taking care of their responsibilities can become very difficult. Those who have bunions, which is an overgrowth of the bone and tissue where the big toe meets the foot, know firsthand just how painful walking can be. Here is a look at bunions and how they are treated.
Why Do Bunions Occur?
For the most part, bunions occur in those who have a genetic predisposition to them. Each foot has 26 bones and 33 joints, with the big toe having two of those joints. Each foot also has over 100 ligaments, tendons, and muscles. With so many working parts, it's not uncommon for something to go wrong and for minor defects to occur in utero. Rheumatoid arthritis can also trigger bunion growth. As more women than men develop bunions, it is believed wearing high heels or shoes that compress the feet can trigger bunion growth as well.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Bunion?
Bunions have a characteristic red bump that sticks out to the side of their big toe and foot. This bump can be quite prominent, and it pushes the big toe towards the next toe. In addition to pain, the toe and foot can feel hot and inflamed, become swollen, and undergo skin thickening. This thickening can lead to developing callouses on the bottom of the feet as well as the bunion itself.
As a bunion grows, it can cause other toe and foot problems, such as bursitis. This is when the fluid-filled sacs called bursas that cushion joints become inflamed. The ball of the foot may also become swollen, usually from trying to walk differently to avoid the bunion pain.
How Is A Bunion Treated?
In its early stages, while the bunion is still small, the pain is a minor irritant that can be addressed with over-the-counter pain relievers. Simply changing your footwear and using orthotics, which are inserts for your shoes, can dramatically improve a bunion. Not standing for long periods can also help greatly, but this isn't possible for everyone, of course. If a bursa is involved, cortisone shots can help reduce the inflammation.
In many cases, a specialized bunion surgeon is eventually needed to treat the bunion. Because of the many bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles in the foot, this can be fairly involved, and the use of screws, wires, and metal plates is not uncommon. While the surgery itself is relatively straightforward, the recovery time can be considerable, up to several months.
