Bunions… Or Whatever that Bone Is!
The Definition of Bunion
I get asked about bunions constantly, be it at the clinic, during training sessions, or even at weddings.
The bunion is better known as Hallux Abducto Valgus in Greek, which when broken down means:
Hallux is the big toe
Abducto is the outward position of the toe
Valgus is the angle or the joint.
So, it basically means the joint of the big toe is pointing outwards from the foot. In reality, if you are looking at a person the Bunion is actually pointing inwards. But let’s not miss the point here - it hurts! And at weddings, it hurts more… why? Cos of the tight shoes. (You see what I did there?)
But, is it really a Bunion?
The problem with bunions, over and above the shoes, is that they don’t look so appealing (but who am I to judge? ), they are painful, and most of all, they alter the way the foot works and also affect our gait.
Let’s get over the first stumbling block: Is it really a bunion? Or just bone-lipping happening at the big toe joint? They are fairly different, but both are common in the pain they produce. If the big toe joint is jotting outwards (inwards?!) like a V, it’s a bunion. If the joint line is actually straight and there is like a mass of bone sticking up, then that’s lipping.
Lipping - Here’s what it is
Lipping happens when there is a problem with the way the big toe joint flexes. This problem is usually due to a problem further back towards the ankle: mainly stiffness, has lack of mobility, or an internal foot rotation. This pushes the shaft of the toe to stand higher in relation to the joint. The toe tries to flex but unfortunately, it bangs against the shaft and over time a bone lip starts forming, getting bigger and bigger, reducing the range of motion of the big toe and causing pain.
Step One to Healing Bunions
Bunions happen mainly due to extended periods of time using very narrow pointy shoes, a pronated or severely rotated foot, bad foot mechanics, or simply genetics.
I will not dwell on how to fix and help either one of these 2 problems - I’ll do that in the next blog post. But what I can definitely say and this is step one- get a shoe that mimics the foot shape and has a wide toe box and you’ll start seeing the difference!
