Podiatry
See how Main Line Health’s dedicated team of podiatrists provide expert care, ensuring comprehensive treatment for your foot and ankle conditions.
Bunions
What are bunions?
Bunions are a foot abnormality in which the big toe angles toward the second toe causing the big toe joint to stick out and form a bony bump. You may also get a bunion from putting stress on your foot or from arthritis.
Most commonly, bunions affect women who wear pointed and high-heeled shoes. Over the years of wearing poorly fitting shoes, the foot bone structure changes and forms a bunion.
Symptoms of bunions
A bunion is not to be confused with a corn, which is thick, hardened skin that forms and points into the skin, often in the same spot where a bunion might develop. Sometimes, however, a bunion may form a corn, which adds to the painful experience.
A bunion is recognizable from the obvious angle of your big toe leaning in toward your second toe, but may also produce symptoms such as:
- Pain, redness or swelling
- Corns
- Calluses
- Difficulty moving your big toe
For the most part, bunions are uncomfortable and inconvenient, but treatable.
Bunion treatment options
The podiatrists and orthopaedic specialists at Main Line Health, including independent providers, offer a full range of treatment options to help people with bunions find relief. Conservative, non-surgical treatments are usually the first option to try to correct the issue. If the bunion is still causing you problems, you may need to consult with a foot and ankle surgeon. An X-ray will show the doctor how much your foot structure has changed and whether surgery is right for you.