What Is A Bunion, Mom?

Ask anyone with bunions how their feet feel wearing most regular shoes on the market, and you'll undoubtedly see a scowl come across their face followed by a glimpse of the memory of pain. The problem with most regular shoes on the market is that they aren't wide enough for feet with bunions. The shoes have to be broken in, which means a period of quite a bit of pain for the bunion sufferer. Do my shoes have good arch supports? Or do I have orthotic arch supports I can add to my shoes which can provide the support that a foot with a bunion needs? If your loved one has been referred for hallux valgus surgery, it is important to keep in mind that most difficult part of the surgery will involve the issues of gait and stance. Because this is the time when weight is being placed on the surgically corrected foot, pain and mobility can be compromised. To make this process easier for your loved one, aggressive rehabilitation should be considered in the days after surgery rather than waiting typical four to six weeks for surgery incisions to heal. Metatarsalgia is a painful medical condition that occurs in the ball of the foot right behind the big toe or the metatarsal head. So what are bunions and hammer toes? A bunion (hallux valgus) is a boney bump behind the big toe. A hammer toe (claw, mallet, deformed toe) is a toe that is curved or curled when it should be straighter. And a tailor's bunion (bunionette) is a boney bump behind the pinky toe. Bunions and hammer toes are progressive deformities. This means they get worse as time goes on. Shoe selection is only one causative factor, and sometimes does not cause these deformities at all. A 12 year old female patient with bunions certainly can't blame her shoes. The term “bunion” refers to a bump or enlargement of the joint that grows at the head and side of the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) at the base of the hallux or (big toe). The change in position of the big toe can sometimes appear as overlapping the third toe (called Hallux Varus), and also rotate or twist, which is known as Hallux Abducto Valgus (HAV). Do you have any additional questions about bunions or other foot deformities? Give the podiatrists at NorthPointe Foot & Ankle a call. We serve the Berkley, Southfield, Royal Oak, Oak Park and Ferndale areas. Most people can blame their bunions on heredity. In other words, you may have inherited a faulty foot bone structure that makes you more prone to bunions. Flat feet are also a culprit and younger patients may be diagnosed with bunions because of hyper-flexibility. While wearing shoes that are too tight, high heels that crowd the toes, and spending a lot of time on your feet won’t cause bunions, these situations can exacerbate the problem causing symptoms to appear faster and be more severe. For these reasons, women are treated for bunions more often than men are. Illustration B demonstrates a hallux valgus deformity with a congruent MTP joint, as is also the case for the patient in this question. A distal soft-tissue release, including a release of the lateral structures, would be an appropriate procedure combined with a proximal metatarsal osteotomy if the MTP joint was incongruent. However, we are constantly exploring ways of moving from open surgery to minimally invasive or arthroscopic techniques, replacing large incisions with small ‘ports’ through which the surgeon works. In doing so, we offer important benefits for the patient, removing or damaging less tissue, reducing scarring and the subsequent risk of infection. To investigate the association between BMI and musculoskeletal foot disorders, Paul A. Butterworth, of La Trobe University in Bundoora, Australia, and associates conducted a systematic review of the literature and analysis of 25 papers. They also investigated the effectiveness of weight loss for reduction of foot pain The researchers found increased BMI to be strongly associated with non-specific foot pain in the general population, and with chronic plantar heel pain in a non-athletic population. Inconclusive evidence was found for the association between BMI and hallux valgus, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, and flat foot. Two studies were found that reported a reduction in foot symptoms following weight-loss surgery. Pathophysiology of HV deformity — The metatarsocuneiform joint has a sinusoidal curve allowing medial-dorsal and plantar-lateral movements. Increased pressure under the head of the first metatarsal (for example, due to increased subtalar pronation or a congenital plantar-flexed first ray) will force the metatarsal to move medial-dorsally. This movement increases the HA and IM angles and places the metatarsal more medial relative to its proximal phalanx. As muscle action stabilizes the joint during gait, pressure from the proximal phalanx on the lateral aspect of the metatarsal head pushes the metatarsal more medially, further increasing the HA angle.