If you have bony
enlargements of the big toes more
than likely you have bunions.
A bunion (Hallux
Valgus) forces the big toe to angle
toward the other toes. In doing
this, significant discomfort and
pain in the foot can occur. Bunions
do not happen overnight. Slowly over
the years bunions form due to
several different causes. Poor
fitting shoes, family history,
rheumatoid arthritis,
osteoarthritis, weak ligaments in
the feet and trauma or injury to the
feet are some of the reasons that a
bunion will form.
Poor fitting
shoes are the most common cause of
bunions. If your shoes do not fit
properly and are too tight this can
cause the foot to change foot motion
and put pressure on the foot and
toes.
Wearing high heel
or narrow shoes can also cause
bunions. These type of shoes put
pressure on the toe joint which may
cause the toe to angle towards the
other toes, in turn causing a
bunion.
If you have a
family history of neuromuscular
conditions you could be more prone
to developing bunions.
Rheumatoid
arthritis is another cause for
developing bunions. Rheumatoid
arthritis is an autoimmune disease
in which the immune system attacks
normal tissue components. The
inflammation from rheumatoid
arthritis mainly attacks the lining
in joints usually targeting the hand
and feet.
Osteoarthritis
can also be a cause of bunions.
Osteoarthritis is caused by injury
to or wear and tear of the joints
over the years.
There are several
different symptoms for bunions. One
of the symptoms for bunions is
redness and swelling around the big
toe joint. Another symptoms of
bunions is pain along the inside
margin of the foot. This is usually
alleviated when resting. Some other
symptoms of bunions are pain when
wearing tight shoes, feet that are
too wide to fit into their normal
shoes or a second toe that becomes a
hammer toe.
