A bunion is an enlargement of the bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe.

The big toe may turn toward the second toe, and the tissue surrounding the joint may be swollen and tender.

You may first see a bunion as noticed a bump on your big toe joint and your big toe may also be painful.

A bunion on your little toe, it is called a bunionette. A cute name, yes, but a painful condition nonetheless.

Signs and symptoms of bunions are a sore foot or feet; painful when walking, or a swollen, reddened area where the big toe connects to the foot and difficulty wearing shoes.

There are two general causes of bunions. Wearing tight, narrow, or high heeled shoes and hereditary factors, bunions normally run in the family, are two common causes of bunions.

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Foot problems such as bunions typically occur in early adulthood. They can get worse as the foot spreads with aging. As stated, for many people, bunions run in the family. They may be just one of several problems due to weak or poor foot structure. Bunions sometimes develop with arthritis.   In people with leg length discrepancies, bunions can form in the longer leg.

The choice of bunion treatment depends on the age of the patient and the level of pain the patient is in. The most effective treatment for bunions in adolescents is to buy wider shoes. If an adolescent undergoes surgery, there is a high likelihood that the bunions will return in adulthood.

The most effective treatment for adults is very similar to adolescents such as wearing wider and flatter shoes and to use a cushioned pad to make the area where the bunion is most painful more comfortable. If the patient is still experiencing a great deal of pain even after wearing the wider shoes and cushioned pad then surgery might be the next option.

Bunion surgery will straighten out the big toe, ligaments and tendons so that the big toe is pointing forward. The recovery time from surgery to remove a bunion is six to eight weeks. Foot exercises and physical therapy are recommended after bunion surgery.

A bunion can certainly be a painful foot condition. But your family physician or your podiatrist can help.