When it comes to your feet, we want them to be just as attractive as they are functional!
However, studies show that a significant number of adults have some form of bunions.
There are several different ways these can form and as they grow and develop they become more uncomfortable and unsightly. The Family Foot Center of NYC wants you to walk into fall feeling fresh and bunion free!
What Is A Bunion?
A bunion is a problem with one or more bones of the foot with the bunion. It is a complex deformity that can take years to develop or it can form quickly. Each case is different. Even children, adolescents, teenagers and young adults can get bunions.
Patients typically notice a lump on the side of the joint at the very base of the big toe.
When a bunion forms as healthcare professionals refer to it, the head of the first metatarsal. This will cause the big toe to change it’s natural angle, causing it to move closer and closer to the second toe. This is called “hallux valgus” or “bunion”.
Small bunions can form at the base of the little toe. These are called Tailor’s bunions.
Are They Painful?
Bunions can become quite painful if they go untreated.
A bunion causes a type of arthritis (any arthritis is inflammation of a joint) which wears away at the cartilage of the joint. As the cartilage wears away microscopic bits of it cause inflammation of the joint which results in joint pain.
The presence of the bunion itself, being a bump sticking out of the side of foot, then causes the skin over the bunion to press against the inside of your shoe. The skin is literally “caught between a rock and a hard place”! This constant pressure on the skin causes inflammation in the skin and pain.
Years of wear and tear, as well as constant motion and pressure will force the joint of the big toe to bend abnormally. This is not only unsightly, but will cause a painful bump which can become swollen and discolored. If it is not corrected the lump that forms can bear your weight while walking, which will lead to further inflammation. The process continues and the bunion grows bigger and bigger.
Are Bunions Caused By Footwear?
It is often said that bunions are the most common problem associated with the feet, especially for those who regularly wear high heels. These bony prominences, or bone growths, are the result of unnatural alignment, which can be caused by not only high heels, but also narrow shoes. The shape that your foot is forced into while wearing your favorite stilettos may actually cause pain, not just while wearing the shoe but long after you take them off!
In the final analysis heredity plays the largest role.
If a blood relative has (or had) bunions then you have a greater chance of developing them.
Other causes of bunions can be injury to the big toe joint, injury to other parts of the foot, injury to other parts of the ankle, leg, hip and back. Our body parts are connected: its not uncommon to see an injury in one body part causing an issue months or years later in another.
Contact the Family Foot Center today to schedule your foot consultation.
Get ready to walk into fall with beauty and confidence!
Visit http://www.familyfootcenter.com/ to learn more about the podiatry services offered!
Thank you for reading!