What is a bunion?

People talk about bunions but what is a bunion?

Bunions are most common on women and it is an enlargement of the joint at the base of the big toe. The enlargement is actually additional bone, and it is often combined with a misalignment of the big toe.

The big toe is normally supposed to point straight forward but a bunion Windsor causes it to point towards the little toes.

The bunion Windsor can become inflamed and cause redness, tenderness and often pain. The bursa, a small fluid filled sac next to the joint can also become inflamed, and this will cause more swelling, redness and pain.

As mentioned earlier, bunions Windsor are more common in woman; high heels, tight fitting shoes that force the toes to the side have been blamed as a contributing cause. There certainly seems to be a genetic factor in the formation of bunions Windsor, you will notice that often women, and men, in the same family will tend to form bunions.

Not all bunions Windsor cause symptoms; sometimes the biggest inconvenience of the bunion is the difficulty in finding shoes to fit properly, as the shoes need to be larger to accommodate the bunion.

But for many people the bunion Windsor causes pain when walking and wearing shoes. Sometimes this pain can be alleviated by resting but normally a more aggressive treatment is required, especially to prevent the bunion Windsor from getting worse and more painful.

A bunion can be diagnosed by your doctor based on the symptoms and an exam. X-rays are also useful to verify how severe the bunion Windsor is and to help decide which method will be most effective to help correct the alignment of the toes.

Treatment of the bunion Windsor can be as simple as resting the foot (feet) and choosing wider shoes. Shoes that are narrow press on the bunion Windsor and cause further pain. Sometimes a cold pack applied to the bunion Windsor will help and there are some stretching exercises that will also help.

A bunion splint can be worn at night to provide relief and a custom made orthotic can help take the pressure off by supporting the foot properly.

Once the bunion Windsor has been treated and the symptoms have lessened you should avoid irritating it again by continuing to choose wider shoes and caring for your feet.

Surgery is usually only considered when the bunion Windsor is causing persistent pain that simply cannot be relieved by other methods.

The Foot Care Institute of bunion Windsor is the premier center for foot orthotic therapy in the Windsor area. We specialize in custom foot orthotics, biomechanical, gait evaluation and have become the primary referral center for orthotic therapy in the greater Windsor area.