What if I have a BUNION?

Hello All! Welcome back to What if I have... series. Our treat for today is the wonderful world of BUNIONS. Rhymes with the delicious oniony chip called funions, although a lot less fun. 1 IN 3 women will have a bunion or encounter someone with a bunion either man or women (mostly women). They are quite unsightly and painful and yes they can be completely avoidable so listen up/read closely.

           

What exactly is a bunion?

Medical Term: Hallux Valgus aka Bunion is an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe. The base pushes outward on the first metatarsal bone, which is the bone directly behind the big toe.

If this occurs on the little toe it is called a bunionette.

How do you get a bunion or better yet, what not to do to get a bunion?

            Years of wearing tight, poorly fitting shoes -- especially high-heeled, pointed shoes -- can bring on bunions. Such shoes gradually push the foot bones into an unnatural shape.

Some people are sadly doomed from birth. Bunions can run in the family, poor foot structure. Also people with arthritis and leg length differences are more likely to get a bunion.

How do you know if you have an official bunion and not a bad corn?

            Well bunions are on the sides of the foot and are a more internal issue meaning the actual bone of the foot is abnormal, while a corn is on top of the skin. Eventually bunions become a shinier and a warmer area on the foot. There's often swelling, redness, unusual tenderness, and/or pain at the base of the big toe.

I’m sure many of you all have encountered with someone with a bunion and someone who has had bunion removal surgery. That is the most consistent way to relive your pain caused by a bunion, if you have any. Bunion surgeries are very common it has great results and reasonable risk of infection in the soft tissue or bone of the foot. Also side effects from anesthetic medicines or other medicines used to control pain and swelling nothing more than any other common surgery. The weighing factor in bunion surgery is the healing process. It can take to over a year for your foot to be completely healed and fully functional again. Also surgery does not prevent a bunion from returning, only proper footwear does that.

There are several different types of bunion surgery, some removing tendons, some cutting into the bone, other fuse joints together it all depends on the severity of the bunion. The best way to find out is to talk to your doctor and of course check in with us to let us know how it went. Tell us what we missed and what we need to expand on. How many of you all have had bunions? Did you have surgery or change footwear? Let us know! Make sure to check back with our next topic of the mysterious HAMMERTOE.