Bunions Are The New Foot Accessory. Cool, Huh?
Just when you think you are out with the old and in with the new fashion of six inch chrome stilettos and the latest line of toe-pinching, sequenced booties, you might want to think twice. While you are squeezing your toes in the only size left in the store and walking out with them in fear of missing out on your opportunity to look fabulous in the newest trend, your credit card is not the only thing screaming on the way out the door.
Your feet know exactly what’s in store for them and won't stand for it (pardon the pun). So, unless you are a professional ballerina, I would suggest turning around and exchanging those pointy-toed satin pumps with the cute bow on the heel for something slightly more practical and listen up. Otherwise, you are headed toward bunion lane - and that is one road you don't want your feet walking down.
In blatant terms, a bunion is a type of bone enlargement that commonly grows on the joint where your big toe meets your foot. Nine out of 10 times it affects women due to the type of shoes they wear that pinch and squeeze their toes together causing them to deform from normal position.
Although most cases of bunions are from uncomfortable footwear, there are other risk factors for growing bunions, which include genetics, congenital abnormal foot formation, nerve condition, rheumatoid arthritis or injury to the foot.
Bunions can cause severe deformation to your joints, most commonly causing the end of the big toe to bend towards your other toes, crowding them. The bone at the base of the toe where it meets the foot deforms outward beyond where the bone should be positioned. In a worst case scenario, surgery may be your only option to restore the joint where a bunion formed.
Aside from bunions being painful and uncomfortable, they are fairly unattractive. For the longest time I was friends with a girl who always had weird-looking feet. The joint where the big toe and foot meet stuck out and her toes pointed inward. I didn’t understand it, but never dwelled on it. It was her feet, not mine, thankfully.
We were quite young, in our teen years at least.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment2 Comments
Hmmmmm. After reading this Samara it makes me want to put a "warning label" on shows like "Sex and the City" which glamorize wearing extreme shoes. Personally I like Oprah Winfrey's open approach on her show in which she acknowledges her "fancy" shoes are just for TV and not what she wears in her everyday life. I can't wait to read Part Two! Pat
December 30, 2009 - 5:49pmThis Comment
Hello, has anyone tried to soak feet in Epson salt? It has been reducing my bunions. It takes soaking every day.
January 7, 2010 - 4:36pm