Bunions can be very unsightly especially for women who love flaunting their toes in sexy stilettos and sandals. Unfortunately, our feet are not immune to suffering from the poorly fitting shoes and the constant pounding of our daily runs and walks.
Definition of Bunions
Bunions refer to the enlargement of the joints typically found in the inner foot or at the bottom of your big toe. This enlargement is actually a new bone that formed due to the big toe’s misalignment. Instead of its straight forward position, the big toe is pushed outwards. As such, this part is easily inflamed and irritated as it becomes more exposed to the outside elements. While this physical deformity is more prevalent in women, bunions can also manifest in men.
What Causes Bunions?
Numerous studies have given credence to the claim that bunions are more common to women than men for the simple reason that ladies love to squeeze their toes into high heels and pointed stilettos which can set a very fertile ground for bunions to develop. Apart from the tight fitting shoes, bunions are also attributed to nerve problems, rheumatoid arthritis, foot injuries and congenital disorders such as physical abnormalities in the foot itself.
How to Know if you have a Bunion?
The tricky part about bunions is that they may or may not trigger specific symptoms. To further complicate things, when issues arise most of these manifestations can also be attributed to other foot disorders. This is precisely why consulting with your podiatrist is always the best approach to correcting bunions.
For purposes of shedding more light on this problem, we have rounded up two of its most common symptoms:
- Foot Pain – as a part of your big toe is enlarged, it will inevitably lead to chronic pain especially when squeezed in tight shoes.
- Swelling – tenderness and inflammation is also evident in the affected tissues.
How to Treat Bunions?
Non-Surgical Treatments:
- Rest – refraining from physically demanding activities can help keep bunions to a minimum.
- Shoes – instead of wearing narrow toe boxes, opt for shoes that offer wider “wiggle” room for your toes.
- Medications – when your bunions are accompanied by pain, your doctor can also prescribe the use of anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen to manage the pain.
- Exercises – the use of simple stretching exercises can also help alleviate some of the strain and tension from falling on your joints.
Surgical Treatments:
Bunionectomy – simply put, this procedure utilizes surgically removing the bunion itself while realigning your big toe back to its natural position.
Ideal Feet Can Help!
Bunions generally occur when the bones and joints of the feet are not properly aligned. When bunions become painful it is important to relieve pressure on the ball of the foot under the big toe. Ideal Feet products are designed to help bunions by balancing the bones, joints and the arches of the feet. By balancing the feet, it takes the excess pressure off of the ball of the foot and balances it among the whole foot.