It happens when the two bones in your big toe joint move out of line with each other.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Dykyj D.
Pathologic anatomy of hallux abducto valgus.
Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. 1989; 6: 1-15.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ This makes your toe joint stick out. The bony bump is the bunion.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Coughlin M.
Hallux valgus.
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 1996; 78: 932-966.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Your toes, especially your big toe, help you balance. They also help push you forward as you walk or run. You have 14 bones in your toes. They are among the smallest in your body. Two bones meet at the joint of your big toe.

At the joint, the ends of the two bones are held together by tissue. This is called the joint capsule. It has a lining that makes fluid. The fluid makes your toe joint slippery and helps it move smoothly.

Your toe joints are designed to cope with walking, jumping and other actions you do over and over. Several tissues wrap around each joint. They help keep the joint stable so the bones stay in place. These tissues include

 

 

 

 

 

ligament
A ligament is a strong piece of tissue that connects one of your bones to another. For example, ligaments in your ankle connect the bones of your leg to the bones of your heel.

 

 

 

 

 

ligaments,

 

 

 

 

 

tendons
Tendons are the tough, rope-like connections between your muscles and your bones.

 

 

 

 

 

tendons and muscles. Doctors call them soft tissues.

The joint at the base of your big toe moves more than other joints in your foot. It needs to because it carries most of your weight as you push off your foot when you walk forward. This means that this joint differs a bit from your other toe joints.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Coughlin M.
Hallux valgus.
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 1996; 78: 932-966.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Your big toe joint has two tiny round bones. Doctors call these sesamoid bones. They sit inside a tendon underneath the joint. These tiny bones stop the tendon from getting squashed when you stand on your foot. And they help your toe move up and down in a straight line.

A bunion happens when the two main bones in your big toe joint move out of line with each other.

Usually, this occurs when something upsets the balance of the soft tissues around your joint.

All the parts of a joint depend on each other. When something goes wrong in one part, it affects the others. For example, a bunion may start when the muscles in your foot get tighter and the tendons get looser. This makes your toe joint less stable, so the bones there begin to move.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Dykyj D.
Pathologic anatomy of hallux abducto valgus.
Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. 1989; 6: 1-15.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Podiatric Medical Association.
Bunions.
Available at http://www.apma.org (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
British Chiropody and Podiatry Association.
Fact sheet: Bunions.
Available at http://www.premierfootcare.com (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

Often, a sac of fluid forms over the bump. It's like a blister. Doctors call this sac a bursa.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Podiatric Medical Association.
Bunions.
Available at http://www.apma.org (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
British Chiropody and Podiatry Association.
Fact sheet: Bunions.
Available at http://www.premierfootcare.com (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ The sac can get

 

 

 

 

 

inflammation
If your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot or sore, we say it is inflamed. It means that your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something in your body tissues that can hurt you (like a thorn or sliver), or from things that cause allergies (allergens). Inflammation is part of the way the body heals an infection or injury.

 

 

 

 

 

inflamed when your bunion rubs on your shoes. If this happens, you also have bursitis.

Doctors call bunions hallux valgus. Hallux means big toe. Valgus means bent outward. A bunion is simply a joint that is out of line. It isn't a growth on the side of your toe, as some people think.

A bunion can hurt a lot. You may find it hard to walk. Your big toe may start to roll on its side and cross over your second toe. And your big toe can push your second toe toward your third toe and so on. Your toes may even lie on top of each other in bad cases.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Podiatric Medical Association.
Bunions.
Available at http://www.apma.org (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
British Chiropody and Podiatry Association.
Fact sheet: Bunions.
Available at http://www.premierfootcare.com (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ Some people get a small bunion, called a bunionette, on their little toe. This is also known as a tailor's bunion.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Caselli MA, George DH.
Foot deformities: biomechanical and pathomechanical changes associated with aging, Part I.
Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. 2003; 20: 487-509.

 

 

 

 

 

⁶ It can hurt a lot and change the shape of your small toe joint.

Doctors don't really know why some people get bunions. The shape of your foot and how you walk are probably the main causes.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Ferrari J, Higgins JPT, Prior TD.
Interventions for treating hallux valgus (abductovalgus) and bunions (Cochrane review).
In: The Cochrane Library. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

 

 

 

 

 

⁷ But wearing shoes that are too tight could make the problem worse.

Some things increase your chances of getting bunions. Doctors call these things risk factors. For example, having a long big toe and being a woman make it more likely that you will get bunions.

For more information, see Risk factors for bunions.

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