If you're a slave to the latest fashion in footwear, this can come with a painful price -- bunions. Bunions are tender, reddened bumps that typically form on the base of your big toe and afflict nine of every 10 women, according to the American Academy of Othopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS, roughly the same ratio of women who wear ill-fitting, high-heeled shoes. Bunion prevention starts with a firm reassessment of the footwear in your closet.
More About Bunions
Bunions form due to an imbalance between the pressure on the joints and tendons of your feet, according to the Mayo Clinic. The joint of your big toe -- also known as the metatarsophalangeal, or MTP joint, gets bigger, forcing the big toe against the rest of your toes. You may experience pain in both the MTP joint, as well as throughout your entire foot. Wearing shoes can become excruciatingly painful and walking difficult. Bunions have more than one cause; they can occur do to hereditary factors, foot injuries, congenital deformities, certain types of arthritis or occupational stressors, such as those experience by professional dancers. However, one of the most common causes of bunions is wearing poorly-fitting shoes with narrow toes and high heels.
Spotting the Culprits
Bunions are rarely serious enough to require surgical intervention, says the AAOS. This painful deformity can be prevented by choosing the right shoes that fit your feet comfortably. Choose footwear with a wide instep, roomy or boxy toe area and soft soles, advises the AAOS, and cap heel height at 2 1/4 inches. Avoid narrow-tipped shoes that push your toes together. Have shoes that fit too tightly professionally stretched. If you already have bunions, wearing more comfortable footwear can reduce some of your discomfort, as can applying nonmedicated bunion pads that provide cushioning between your big toe and shoes.
Foot Care
If bunions become painful and inflamed, the Mayo Clinic and the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics & Medicine, or ACFAOM, recommend elevating your foot and icing it two to three times a day for 20 minutes to an hour. However, don't attempt further home treatment -- you need the help of a podiatrist, a doctor who specializes in treatment of the feet, for proper and thorough care, says the ACFAOM.
Medical Treatment
Medical treatment for bunions depends on how far they have progressed. According to the Mayo Clinic, a doctor may advise using certain over-the-counter medications to control pain and inflammation. Treatment may also involve orthopedic devices that separate the toes, physical therapy and ultrasound, says the ACFAOM. If you're in a great deal of pain, your doctor may inject the area with steroids to reduce inflammation. A surgical procedure called a bunionectomy may be required for bunions that don't respond to other treatments and therapies.
Complications
Without the right foot care, bunions can cause more serious complications, such as bursitis, chronic pain, arthritis and a grotesquely-deformed foot in which the toes misalign and overlap. If you've exhausted all measures of prevention and still suffer bunion pain, see your doctor. The longer you go without medical care, the more difficult bunions are to resolve, cautions the Mayo Clinic.
