A third category of painful foot problems is mechanical abnormalities of a non-traumatic nature. One such problem is a bunion. The bone at the base of the great toe begins to enlarge as the other toes deviate to the outside of the foot. This makes fitting ordinary shoes very difficult and causes painful walking Treatment is often surgical with a bunionectomy. Other deforming abnormalities include hammer toes, claw foot, and flat feet. Treatment is often special shoes, though sometimes surgery is an option. A small fluid-filled sac called the bursa located adjacent to the joint can also become inflamed leading to additional swelling, redness, and pain commonly known as bursitis.
When someone has a bunion, the big toe joint may be enlarged, red and sore. This occurs because the abnormal bony growth affects the tissues in the big toe joint, which can cause inflammation and swelling. Medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can relieve swelling. In addition, a patient can apply ice to the affected bunion when he notices swelling. Finally, elevating the bunion above the level of the heart during sleep can allow gravity to pull fluid out of the big toe joint, which will reduce swelling. A patient should see his doctor when swelling is persistent. Calluses
Wearing improperly fitting shoes, especially those with a narrow toe box and excessive heel height, often causes the formation of a bunion This forefoot deformity is seen more often in women than men. The higher frequency in females may be related to the strong link between footwear fashion and bunions. In fact, in a recent survey of more than 350 women, nearly 90% wore shoes that were at least one size too small or too narrow. Anticipating any kind of foot surgery can be unnerving, but living with bunion pain that just won’t respond to non-invasive measures is not an option many people can accept.
Different conditions or injuries may cause foot pain and the most common are acute or repeated trauma, disease, or a combination of both. Poor biomechanical alignment resulting from trauma may lead to pain in foot. Wearing high-heeled shoes can cause pain around the ball of the foot including the bones in that area. Meanwhile, too tight shoes may also cause pain and bruises on the top of the foot. Some acute typical injuries such as ligament sprains, muscle sprains, bruises or fractures, may be the result of a single or variety of stresses on the foot.
Michelle Zehr started writing professionally in 2009. She has written on health, fitness, fashion, interior design, home decorating,sports and finance for several websites. Zehr possesses a Bachelor of Arts in communication from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Arts in professional writing from Chatham University and a graduate certificate in health promotion from California University of Pennsylvania. Several studies have shown that about 85-90% of patients are satisfied with their bunion surgery and no longer have foot pain. On the other side of the coin, 10-15% of patients are not happy with their surgical outcome. Therefore, surgery is a last resort and should be avoided for solely cosmetic reasons.
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