Do you often wear high heels or tight-fitted shoes? You could be at risk of developing a bunion.

This is a foot deformity that usually occurs in women. Indeed, one out of every three persons over the age of 65 develops a bunion to some degree.

As people grow older, the big toe starts leaning slightly towards your other toes, resulting in a painful bulging bump appearing at the base of the big toe. Also known as hallux valgus, bunions occur when there is a misalignment of the first metatarsal, the long bone that runs from mid-foot to the big toe.

If you have a bunion, it may cause pain while walking, and thickened skin or calluses due to friction between your toes or with your shoes.

Here are some possible causes of bunions:

• flat feet or weak connective tissues, such as a short Achilles tendon or calf muscle;
• ill-fitting shoes (too tight, too narrow, or pointed toes), as well as high heels;
• joint disease such as rheumatoid arthritis;
• other possible causes, such as standing for long periods or foot injuries.

Potential complications include:

• foot deformity or medical conditions such as arthritis;
• bursitis, which occurs when the small, fluid-filled pads (bursae) cushioning your bones, tendons and muscles close to your joints become inflamed;
• hammer toe – pain and pressure resulting from an irregular bend in the middle joint of a toe, typically the one adjacent to your big toe;
• metatarsalgia, a condition where the ball of your foot aches and swells.

Generally, bunions do not require any form of surgery. They may get larger over time, but doctors generally do not recommend surgery apart from exceptional cases.

Potential candidates for bunion surgery include those who experience the following:

• significant foot pain that prevents them from walking or wearing appropriate footwear. Even while wearing sports shoes, they might struggle to walk more than a few blocks without great discomfort;
• chronic big-toe swelling and inflammation that does not improve with rest or medicine;
• toe deformity, when the big toe drifts inward toward the smaller digits, potentially causing them to cross over one another.

The goals of bunion surgery are to realign the metatarsophalangeal joint at the base of the big toe, relieve pain, and correct deformity in the toe and foot.

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved, such as infection, nerve injury, failure to relieve pain, failure of the bone to fully recover, stiffness of the big-toe joint, and/or recurrence of the bunion. Although these are uncommon and typically manageable, they might prevent or delay your recovery.

To slow the progression of a bunion, it is advisable to practise proper foot care. Here are some tips.

• Wear toe spacers inside your shoes to help reposition your toe in better alignment.
• Wear comfortable flat shoes with ample breathing space for your toes and ball of the foot.
• Go barefoot to strengthen your feet’s muscles and maintain their natural alignment.
• Some medical professionals recommend using orthopaedic shoe inserts (insoles) to support the arch and keep your foot correctly aligned. You can use over-the-counter orthotics from the pharmacy, or custom-moulded shoes produced with a prescription.
• Maintain a healthy weight to prevent your body from putting extra pressure on your feet while walking.
• Pamper your feet by soaking them in warm water with Epsom salts when they are fatigued or sore, and also use a moisturiser.
• Oral or topical anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed by your podiatrist or dispensed by your pharmacist to reduce pain and inflammation. If your bunion is very inflamed, a small steroid injection can provide relief.

This article was written by DOC2US, a mobile application that allows you to talk to a doctor or any healthcare professionals via text chat at any time and from anywhere.