Learn About Bunions
A bunion forms when your big toe points outward toward your second toe. This causes a bump to appear on the inside edge of your toe.
Hallux valgus
Bunions are more common in women than men. The problem can run in families. People born with abnormal alignment of the bones in their feet are more likely to form a bunion.
Wearing narrow-toed, high-heeled shoes may lead to the development of a bunion.
The condition may become painful as the bump gets worse. Extra bone and a fluid-filled sac can grow at the base of the big toe.
Symptoms may include:
- Red, thickened skin along the inside edge at the base of the big toe.
- A bony bump at the first toe joint, with decreased movement in the toe.
- Pain over the joint, which pressure from shoes makes worse.
- Big toe turned outward toward the other toes and may cross over the second toe. As a result, corns and calluses often develop where the first and second toes overlap.
- Difficulty wearing regular shoes.
You may have problems finding shoes that fit or shoes that do not cause pain.
When a bunion first begins to develop, you can do the following to care for your feet.
- Wear wide-toed shoes. This can often solve the problem and prevent you from needing more treatment.
- Wear felt or foam pads on your foot to protect the bunion, or devices called spacers to separate the first and second toes. These are available at drugstores.
- Try cutting a hole in a pair of old, comfortable shoes to wear around the house.
- Talk to your provider about whether you need inserts to correct flat feet.
- Stretch the calf muscle of your leg to have better alignment of your feet.
- If the bunion gets worse and more painful, surgery may help. The surgery called bunionectomy realigns the toe and removes the bony bump. There are more than 100 different surgeries to treat this condition. Please discuss with your surgeon which type can help you and why.
Proliance Surgeons
Philip Yearian, DPM, is a board-certified surgeon specializing in the lower extremity treatment of the foot and ankle. He believes that staying on the forefront of treatment involves educating his patients, which leads to better outcomes.While competing as a Division I Track and Field athlete in the 3000 meters Steeplechase and Cross Country at the University of Portland, his own injuries introduced him to some of the very treatments he uses today to get patients back on their way to a non-painful walk or ultra-marathon.His training involved specializing in both bone and plastic reconstructive surgery. After over twenty years in practice in Gig Harbor and Tacoma, Dr. Yearian has improved some of these very techniques, which now allow some patients to shorten their recovery and return to play or work sooner.Dr. Yearian coaches basketball at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School. He also enjoys running marathons, skiing, traveling and teaching for the Franciscan Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Residency program. Dr. Yearian is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Bunions. His top areas of expertise are Bunions, Flat Feet, Synovitis, and Tendinitis.
Proliance Surgeons
Gavin H. Smith, DPM, is a board-certified podiatrist and surgeon of the foot and ankle. He has been practicing medicine since 2004. He feels that his professional responsibility is the successful treatment of foot and ankle disorders. His professional interests include deformity correction, joint disorders, overuse injuries and trauma care. His philosophy of care is that the needs of the patient are the first priorities, and that any intervention, whether it be medical or surgical, should be evidence-based.Dr. Smith has volunteered for The Susan G. Komen 3-Day and is a surgical instrutor in the Franciscan Podiatry Residency Program. In his free time, he enjoys working in his shop and martial arts training with his sons. He and his wife have three energetic children who keep them busy. Dr. Smith is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Bunions. His top areas of expertise are Bunions, Tendinitis, Achilles Tendon Rupture, and Plantar Fasciitis.
Weil Foot And Ankle Institute, LLC
Adam Fleischer is a Podiatric Medicine provider in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Fleischer is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Bunions. His top areas of expertise are Bunions, Hammer Toe, Claw Foot, Osteotomy, and Fasciotomy.
You can keep a bunion from worsening by taking care of it. Try to wear different shoes when it first starts to develop.
Teenagers may have more trouble treating a bunion than adults. This may be the result of an underlying bone problem or growth changes.
Surgery reduces the pain in many, but not all people with bunions. After surgery, you may not be able to wear tight or fashionable shoes.
Contact your provider if the bunion:
- Continues to cause pain, even after self-care such as wearing wide-toed shoes
- Prevents you from doing your usual activities
- Has any signs of infection (such as redness or swelling), especially if you have diabetes
- Worsening pain that is not relieved by rest
- Prevents you from finding a shoe that fits
- Causes stiffness and loss of movement in your big toe
Avoid compressing the toes of your foot with narrow, poor-fitting shoes.
Summary: Subjects receive study drug during bunionectomy and are followed for pain and opioid use, with the hypothesis that those who receive CPL-01 will have less pain and less opioid use than either control arm.
Summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if performing a lateral soft tissue release during a Chevron osteotomy (or Akin osteotomy when appropriate) for bunions leads to better correction without added complications in 200 patients over the age of 18 years old with the capacity to consent and mild to moderate bunions that are determined to benefit from Chevron osteotomies by one of the IRB ...
Published Date: June 17, 2024
Published By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Greisberg JK, Vosseller JT. Hallux valgus. In: Greisberg JK, Vosseller JT, eds. Core Knowledge in Orthopaedics: Foot and Ankle. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:56-63.
Murphy GA. Disorders of the hallux. In: Azar FM, Beaty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 82.
Wexler D, Campbell ME, Grosser DM. Kile TA. Bunion and bunionette. In: Frontera, WR, Silver JK, Rizzo TD Jr, eds. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 84.