Bunions Causes
The reasons for bunions are not clear, even though scientists suspect that both lifestyle and inherited factors contribute to their formation. Studies recommend that juvenile hallux valgus and congenital hallux valgus tend to be more relating to joint deformities having a genetic cause. A bit is known regarding the genetic contribution to bunions that appear later in your life, and no special genes involved in the formation of bunions have been known. For bunions that occur in adulthood, inherited reasons related to the structure and shape of the toes and the way your toes move (foot mechanics) are more likely to rely on an individual’s risk of having the condition. (4)
It has been a long the recommendation of wearing ill-fitted shoes is another important risk factor, specifically shoes that are way too tight, shoes having high heels, or shoes having a narrow toe box. Research recommends that poorly fitting shoes might not give rise to bunions, but they might form bunions and develop earlier or get worse more quickly in individuals who have an undergoing susceptibility. Other risk factors for bunions consist of inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and flat feet. Bunions are also characteristics of various rare genetic syndromes that affect bone development, consisting of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive, and Chitayat syndrome.
Foot problems normally begin in early adulthood. As we grow old, our feet go expand and the complications tend to get worse. Factors that might give rise to bunions consist of:
- Genetics: Bunions might run in your family
- Leg length: If each of the legs is bigger than the other, you might form a bunion on the bigfoot of the longer one
- Foot structure: Poor or weak foot structure might give rise to bunions
- Shoes: Wearing tight shoes or high heels might make bunions more likely. That is why they occur in women more in comparison to men
- Arthritis: Certain kinds of arthritis make bunions more likely. This is significantly true of inflammatory kinds of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis
Bunions are a complex situation without having a genuine pattern of inheritance. Many affected people have several family members who are also affected. The chance of forming bunions is higher for first-degree relatives of affected people (such as children or siblings) in comparison to the general population. When bunions appear as part of a genetic syndrome, this characteristic follows the inheritance pattern of the syndrome. There are several theories regarding how bunions form, but the real reason is still not known. Factors likely consist of:
- Deformities occur at birth
- Inherited foot kind
- Foot injuries or stress
Experts do not agree on whether high-heeled, tight or too narrow shoes give rise to bunions or whether shoes simply contribute to the formation of bunions. Bunions may be linked with certain kinds of arthritis, significantly inflammatory kinds, such as rheumatoid arthritis. The real reason for bunions is not known still. Individuals sometimes have a family history of having bunions, recommending genetics play a major role. Certain anatomical abnormalities of your toe such as weak connective tissue or a short Achilles tendon might take part in their progression. Having rheumatoid arthritis, being flatfooted, or having short calf muscles is also more likely to raise the chance of having a bunion.
High heels and tight shoes are sometimes blamed for the development of a bunion, but shoes are not likely to be an important cause. Few individuals who wear tight shoes or high heels ever have bunions, while few individuals who wear loose and flat shoes do. It is more likely shoes contribute to the development of bunion in genetically predisposed individuals. Some important ways to reduce your chance of having bunions consist of:
- Spending a lot of time walking barefoot
- Wearing flat and comfortable shoes
- Reducing time wearing shoes having pointed toes or high heels
- Avoiding shoes that are narrow around the ball of your toes
- Individuals having low arches, flat feet, loose tendons or joints, or other injuries of the foot might be at an increased chance of having bunions
Even though gout might strike right in any joint, it is most occurring and affects your bigfoot, and its symptoms (redness, inflammation, and pain) are just like those of a painful bunion
- Other conditions that might be not diagnosed properly as bunions and vice versa, when they form around your big foot consist of ganglion cysts and bursitis
- Bunions might also occur by some other health-related problems affecting your feet, consisting of psoriatic arthritis, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Osteoarthritis and RA (rheumatoid arthritis) affect various joints, but they both sometimes first appear in the smaller joints of your feet, consisting of those in the bigfoot
Individuals having connective tissue problems, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Marfan syndrome, and those having Down syndrome might also be at a raising risk of having bunions, as are individuals who have a muscle imbalance in the toes because of conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke or myelomeningocele
In addition to putting you at increased risk for gout, bunions and RA are sometimes misdiagnosed as bunions and vice versa
While the accurate cause behind the development of bunions has not been completely known, experts think that certain kinds of feet make an individual more prone to having bunions and these toe kinds tend to run in the families. More significantly, experts think that a combination of certain kind of foot, along with abnormal pressure on your big toe joint (known as the first metatarsophalangeal joint) for years, is what most commonly give rise to bunion development.
Besides narrow shoes and an inherited foot kind, other factors that might give rise to the formation of bunion consist of:
- Trauma or foot injury
- Low arches or flat feet
- Genetic disorders such as Down syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
- Neuromuscular conditions such as cerebral palsy
- Inflammatory arthritis of the toe such as rheumatoid arthritis