20/01/2024
Bunions. What are they? 🦶🏼
Also known as Hallux Abducto-Valgus, bunions are a progressive disorder characterised by a bony lump on the inside of your big toe. It occurs when something puts extra pressure on your big toe and pushes it out of normal alignment. You will see the big toe deviating towards the 2nd toe.
Symptoms of bunions:
- Pain or stiffness in your big toe
- Swelling
- Discolouration or redness
- An inability to move or bend your big toe (you may feel pain or a burning feeling when you bend your toe)
- Difficulty wearing certain types of shoes, or the pain gets worse when wearing shoes
- Corns or calluses
- Hammertoes
Causes of bunions:
Bunions normally form as a result of a combination of things including
- family history and the way you walk
- Abnormal bony structure
- Shoe choices 👠👎🏽
- If you stand for long periods of time, play sport or work on your feet
- Health conditions that cause inflammation e.g rheumatoid arthritis
Treatment options/management of bunions can include:
- footwear changes 👟
- Forefoot wedges or functional orthotics
- Paddings/taping
- Ice and Pain relief
- Strengthening exercises to address any underlying weakness
- And more!
If you are suffering from bunion pain, it would be worth seeing a Podiatrist for a foot assessment!
