Bunions are common but that doesn’t make this foot deformity any less painful or unpleasant. One of the most interesting facts about this issue is it’s often a direct response to our desire to look fashionable and wear shoes that are too narrow in the toe area. That’s why women are often more susceptible to bunions than men.
One of the most common types of bunions form when the big toe presses against the next toe and the joint is forced out. However, wearing those fashionably slender shoes isn’t the only reason for bunions and arthritis is another cause as well as inherited structural defects. Callouses, corns, soreness and redness are just some of the symptoms of this often painful foot problem.
Although bunions don’t always cause any kind of persistent painful issues, there are a few complications that can arise from them including Hammertoe, Bursitis and Metatarsalgia.
Alternatives
Correcting bunions isn’t always about having surgery. There are several alternatives that can relieve the pain and pressure associated with a bunion and one of the most simple and straightforward is changing the kind of shoes that you wear. Comfort over fashion can alleviate some of the problems associated with bunions and more roomy choices are a good start.
Choosing the right kind of shoe inserts can help evenly distribute the pressure when you move your feet and help to solve the issue too. While these can do their part in preventing your bunion from getting worse, they won’t do much to alleviate the problem completely.
Options
That’s why bunion surgery is one of the choices that needs to be explored. There are several options that can help to correct the problem including removing the swollen tissue that’s formed around the joint. Quite often it’s a good idea to look at the root cause of the bunion itself and a good surgeon will be able to realign the bone that runs from the back of the foot to your front toe to set it in its correct position. Part of the bone from your big toe can be removed or the bones of the affected joint can be joined permanently.
Regardless of the route that you decide to take to correct your bunions, you should consider putting those narrow shoes away in a closet permanently if you don’t want to have a reoccurrence. Remember the usual recovery period after one of these surgeries takes anywhere from six weeks to six months or even up to one year.
