Introduction
Even though both men and women can get bunions, women tend to have them more often. The blood flow in the toes becomes restricted from wearing tight high heel shoes that are wrongly shaped.
Experts advise that if you want to know how to get rid of bunions, seek professional help but don’t let them deteriorate and cause further complications.
What Are Bunions?
For most of us, it might be okay, but when you are famous like Oprah Winfrey, and the paparazzi take liberty with their pics of you without shoes on, you hope that your bunions aren’t showing[1]! You suddenly want to know how to get rid of bunions!
A bunion is a bony bump around the joint at the base of your big toe. Dr. Oz[2] says that 90% of bunions are hereditary. Bunions causes, he says, happen if your feet have bones that naturally are splayed out, and you squeeze your feet tightly into them. The splayed-out bones will go in the wrong direction, the recipe for bunions.
If your bunions are so painful that you battle to walk, they will need bunions surgery. However, Healthline says you can treat bunions without surgery.
Bunions Causes
Usually, a bunion occurs when the feet continually get squashed into narrow and pointed shoes. Some toes get squished under or over the other toes. Often the base of the big toe, which is the metatarsophalangeal joint, juts out from the foot. Other bunions causes include:
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Shoes that narrow into points can trigger a bunion. But they are not the only underlying cause.
- It might not have occurred to you that bunions could be hereditary[3]. Some foot types are more prone to bunions than other types.
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Flat feet, feet with low arches, and loose tendons and joints are all bunions causes, increasing the risks. Even the shape of the metatarsal head, which is the top of the first metatarsal bone, can also make a difference. If the head is too round, the joint is not as stable. Then it is more likely to become deformed when squeezed into tight, narrow shoes.
- High heeled shoes[4] are also bunions causes. This is because when you wear them, they tip your body weight forward, forcing your toes to the front of the shoe.
- Those who walk and stand a lot are also more susceptible to bunions, as are ballet dancers, whose feet are under constant stress.
- Women who are pregnant can develop bunions. This is because hormonal changes can loosen the ligaments and cause flat feet.
- Bunions causes can also be associated with arthritis that damages the cartilage in the joint.
- Tailors Bunions – These develop on the pinky toe
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Large Bunions – Large Bunion[5] are bunions that come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they are large enough to cause you to have problems with buying suitable footwear
- Bunions with Hallux Limitus – These cause limited flexibility of the foot, particularly at your big toe. Another name for hallux limitus is hallux rigidus[6]. A bunion forms at the top of the big toe base joint instead of on the side from the jamming of the big toe
- Bunions with Skin Irritation – People who have bunions who wear tight or closed shoes are prone. The tightness and narrowness of the shoe can cause the protrusion of the bunion on the foot to cause friction of the skin and redness and peeling off that can be pretty painful, especially if you need to continue walking somewhere. Bunions treatment will require cleaning and moisturizing so that they don’t become infected or turn into a wound.
- The most obvious warning sign is a bump on the inside of your foot – it would be about an inch below the big toe.
- Even though it could be for other reasons[7], having soreness or pain on the base of your big toe that perseveres and doesn’t go away is a warning sign of a bunion.
- If you have red skin that is raised over the joint of the big toe and it feels warm to the touch – that’s another warning sign.
- Loss of feeling in the toe when you walk is a warning sign.
- Enlargement or distortion of your big toe pointing towards the other toes.
- You might have a callus where the bunion keeps rubbing on your shoes.
- Stiffness in your big toe can be a warning sign of a bunion developing, making walking difficult and painful.
- When your toes overlap, indicating bunions.
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A visible bump on the side of the big toe joint – This might be the most common indicator to look out for. Once a bunion has reached the stage of being noticeably formed, it’s already going to be harder to treat. If you do notice a protrusion or bump on the side of your big toe joint, contact a foot specialist immediately for bunions treatment rather than waiting for it to get worse.
- Tightness and pressure on your toes – If your feet feel different in your regular shoe[8], you might be starting a bunion. Maybe your toes are rubbing against the shoe more than they normally do.
- Your big toe is painful and swelling, and you are asking your doctor how to get rid of bunions – Even if your shoes don’t feel any different, if the big toe or the joint is sore, red, irritated, and swollen after being in the shoe for some time, a bunion could be the root cause.
- Big toe limited range of motion – One sign of a bunion developing is decreased range of motion in the big toe – you can’t bend your big toe as well as the other one. Maybe general movement is uncomfortable. The reason could be joint dysfunction because of an underlying bunion.
- Joint pain – When you walk or bend the big toe, it’s painful – often the root cause will be a bunion. If the pain and discomfort don’t resolve in a few days, think about seeing a specialist if the pain goes hand in hand with some other symptoms listed above.
- Ask your podiatrist to tell you about orthotics – Orthotics from a certified podiatrist can help your bunion stop growing, relieving the pressure when you run and walk. Orthotics can be bought at your local drug store.
- Soak your feet in warm water – Soaking your feet in warm water helps reduce stiff joint. Doing a daily soak, once in the morning and once at night, will reduce pain and prevent stiffness.
- How to get rid of bunions requires you to buy good-fitting shoes – Protect your feet by wearing shoes that fit your feet properly and have wide soles. When you buy new shoes, ensure your toes have plenty of room to lie flat without being squashed together at the top.
- A good bunions treatment is using an ice pack or cold press – If you are in a situation where your feet are in agony from walking with great discomfort, an ice pack will help reduce the swelling when you take your shoes off. Just place the ice pack on your toes with the bunion for about 15 minutes max. Otherwise, you might get frostbite.
- Asking how to fix bunions might require losing weight – You put pressure on the toes more if you are overweight. If you lose weight, you naturally reduce the pressure and pain caused by bunions.
- Stretch your feet – If you have bunions, you won’t feel like exercising that could just add to the pain. Stretching your feet can keep them toned and “exercised.”
Do You Get Different Types Of Bunions?
Yes, you do. They could be as follows:
How are bunions removed, such as the above? Sometimes they might require surgery.
Warning Signs Of Bunions
Look at the base joint of your big toe. This is the most common place where you would notice a developing bunion.
These are the warnings signs:
Symptoms You Are Getting A Bunion
Bunions are an abnormal bone formation on the joint of any of your big toes. Let’s see how you can tell that you are starting a bunion:
Interventions For Bunions
How to fix bunions will require constant check-ups with a professional podiatrist. If your bunions are so painful and your feet suffer, these are your options:
How Are Bunions Removed?
If you want to know how to fix bunions, a good idea will be to start using home treatments as soon as you are able. You won’t be able to get rid of them without surgery, but you will be able to minimize the symptoms and help prevent them from getting worse.
Frequently Asked Questions On How To Get Rid Of Bunions
“Susceptible feet are repeatedly squeezed into narrow, pointed-toe footwear. The big toe pushes against the other toes, sometimes diving over or under them,” says Harvard Health Publishing.
Bunions are usually located on the outside of the big toe. It’s a deformity that occurs from years of pressure on the big toe joint – the metatarsophalangeal joint. In the end, the toe joint gets out of alignment, forming a bony bump.
Bunions can contribute to poor posture[9].
You may need bunions surgery if you have severe foot pain that is felt when you walk even with flat, comfortable shoes.
How to get rid of bunions might well require surgery because they aren’t getting better with meds or rest.
People of all ages and fitness levels get bunions. However, they occur mainly in women and older individuals.
Conclusion
That bump that you have on your toe is no doubt a bunion. A bunion often occurs in women who walk a lot in high heels. Bunions also develop in people who spend a lot of time on their feet wearing tight shoes – shoes that are pointed at the top, squeezing the toes very close to each other and in the wrong directions.
Right at the beginning when the bunion develops, you might not be worrying about how are bunions removed. If they are not treated, they can cause scar tissue to form in the foot and cause abnormalities of the toes. You can even experience a lot of pain.
Speak with a podiatrist to help you find relief from pressure and pain. Besides, bunions surgery is never recommended unless there is relentless pain.
