Pain Joint

Most commonly blamed on wearing narrow, tight and high heel shoes, many American women are now paying the price of beauty and style with bunions on their feet. Medical terminology calls this foot problem a Hallux Valgus, but we all know it as a bunion...and a pain!

With this problem of the forefoot, a bunion appears as a prominent bump on the inside of the foot around the big toe joint. The bump is usually red, swollen and painful on the inside of the foot in and around the big toe joint. The bump that you see is actually the bone protruding towards the inside of the foot. With a bunion the base of the big toe will over time get larger and will stick out even more. Also with time, the big toe can continue to drift toward the rest of the toes and in some cases the big toe can actually come to rest over or under the second toe. Without treatment the second toe can even put pressure on the third toe changing its alignment as well.

So much for looking fabulous in those stylish high heels! Yes, there are some hereditary factors to bunion development, but most bunions are indeed blamed on shoes. With that little piece of knowledge, it shouldn't be a far stretch to learn that 90% of all bunions are found in women. Not only can ill-fitting shoes can cause problems such as bunions, they can also cause problems such as corns, hammertoes and calluses.

Even though prevention is the best treatment of all, there are treatment options available. Surgery is certainly an option if walking has become painful and often is the only treatment that will ultimately get rid of the pain associated with bunions. The goal of surgery is to realign bones, ligaments, tendons and nerves so that the big toe can be back in its normal position relieving the pressure on the other toes and the pain of the bunion.

Before considering surgery though making changes early in the formation of a bunion such as avoiding shoes with sharp pointy toes, a tight narrow toe box and heels three inches or higher is a great place to start. Anti-inflammatory medications, cold compresses, soaking the feet in Epsom salts for comfort, cortisone injections, protective bunion pads, orthotics, as well as having your shoes professionally stretched are other helpful treatment options.

Giving up some high fashion, especially if you have a genetic tendency towards the development of bunions, may be just the thing you need in order to prevent bunion formation in the first place. It seems a small price to pay.