Painful and often unsightly, bunions can form a boney, hard knot on the joints of your big toes. Commonly misunderstood, the bunion is not a growth on the bone but actually a malalignment of the joint connecting the toe and the foot. The bones at the top of your foot can move out of alignment and cause the big toe to lean in towards the other toes and results in a bump, often painful, called a bunion.

While exact causes are unknown, there are a few theories experts agree on as to why a bunion occurs:

Factors likely include:

• Genetics (inherited foot type)
• Foot injuries and stress on feet
• Other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Deformities from birth

Some bunions can go left untreated but if you suffer from painful bunions or have a combination of the symptoms below, you may need corrective care. 

Signs and Symptoms:
This malalignment causes multiple problems such as: wearing the joint & cartilage down faster and results in an extreme bony protrusion.

The signs and symptoms of a bunion include:

• The most common sign: a bulging bump on the base of your big toe
• Soreness, redness and/or swollen big toe joint
• Chronic pain or pain that comes and goes
• Minimal movement in your big toe
• Corns or calluses from the toes rubbing together from misalignment