HOW DO YOU GET BUNIONS, DISCUSSED BY TORONTO FOOT SPECIALIST

 

How Do You Get a Bunion?

Bunions develop when the pressure of your weight falls unevenly on the joints and tendons in your feet during routine actions that cause your weight to shift. When this occurs the change in pressure makes your big toe joint unstable, eventually forcing the parts of the joint to form a hard knob that pushes out beyond the normal shape of your foot. This deformity does not occur overnight. It is brought about by years of abnormal motion and pressure over the MTP joint. They are, therefore, a symptom of faulty foot development and are usually caused by the way we walk, and our inherited foot type, our shoes, or other sources.

Causes of bunions include:

  1. High-heels or extremely tight fitting shoes
  2. Stress caused by occupational related hazard
  3. Inherited Foot Type
  4. Foot injuries
  5. Congenital deformities present at birth

Bunions may also be associated with various forms of arthritis, including inflammatory or degenerative forms, causing the protective cartilage that covers your big toe joint to deteriorate. A job that puts extra stress on your feet, as in construction or contracting work, or one that requires you to wear pointed shoes can also cause bunions to form.

Although bunions tend to run in families, it is the foot type that is passed down not the bunion. Parents who suffer from poor foot mechanics can pass their problematic foot type on to their children, who, in turn, are also prone to developing bunions. The abnormal functioning caused by this faulty foot development can lead to pressure being exerted on and within the foot, often resulting in bone and joint deformities such as bunions and hammertoes.

Other causes of bunions are foot injuries, neuromuscular disorders, or congenital deformities. People who suffer from flat feet or low arches are also prone to developing these problems, as are arthritic patients and those with inflammatory joint disease. Occupations that place undue stress on the feet are also a factor; ballet dancers, for instance, often develop the condition.

Wearing shoes that are too tight or cause the toes to be squeezed together is also a common factor, one that explains the high prevalence of the disorder among women who have an affinity of wearing high heels and other fashionably tight shoes.

 

If you or a loved one are suffering from bunions, please do not hesitate to contact our foot clinic for honest, competent advice at 416-465-8737.  our foot clinic believes in conservative management of most foot problems whenever possible and try to avoid the use of drugs and surgery whenever possible.  We would never, under any circumstances consider cosmetic foot surgery.

 

Brought to you by Dr. John A. Hardy, owner of Academy Foot and Orthotic Clinics.

PROFESSIONAL FOOT CLINIC

416-465-8737

Toronto, ON Chiropodist Academy Foot and Orthotic

752 BROADVIEW AVENUE Toronto, ON M4K 2P1 

Across from the Broadview Subway | Professional Family Foot Care