Bunion

A bunion is a sometimes painful structural deformity of the bones and the joint between the foot and big toe. The term "bunion" originally referred to an inflamed and painful bursal sac on the side of the great toe joint. A bunion is an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe. If you have a bunion, you will notice a bump on your big toe joint. The big toe may turn in toward the second toe, and the tissues surrounding the joint may be swollen and tender.

Bunions develop via long-term warping caused by pointed shoes during the growth phase of the foot causing this joint at the base of the big toe to thicken and enlarge. This causes the bones of the big toe to angle in toward the second toe, and leads to an often painful lump of bone which forms at the outside-edge base of the big toe.

Bunions are not only associated with an enlarged bony bump at the big toe joint. Bunions are commonly associated with a deviated position of the big toe where it leans in towards the second toe; and the deviation in the angle between the first and second metatarsal bones of the foot. The small sesamoid bones found beneath the first metatarsal may also become deviated over time as the first metatarsal bone drifts away from its normal position.

Arthritis of the great toe joint, diminished and/or altered range of motion, and discomfort with pressure applied to the bump or with motion of the joint, may all accompany bunion development.

...More at Wikipedia

Related Links:

• Mayo Clinic

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