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Bunions and Bony Bumps

Feet tell such great stories about the loads and forces placed on the body during movement and exercise. Toenails (or lack thereof), callouses, blisters and bony bumps can all provide clues about foot structure and function and patterns of gait. Bunions are the most obvious and common of the bony bumps and affect the large joint proximal to your big toe. Other common sites for bony bumps are on the top of the arch (dorsal exostosis), at the back of the heel (Hagland’s deformity), and on the 5th toe joint (Tailor’s bunion). These bony prominences and exostoses occur as a result of bone remodelling – the body’s mechanism for coping with the excessive forces and loading that may occur through a joint, or at the insertion of a tendon (e.g. the Achilles tendon). Once developed, these bony bumps, unfortunately, don’t go away. Amongst other issues, they may cause pain, blistering and difficulty in fitting shoes. The best treatment and prevention of further development of exostoses in these troublesome spots requires a multifaceted approach; identifying the biomechanical cause, reducing the loading patterns with in-shoe modification or orthotics, altering lacing patterns to reduce direct pressure, and of course, finding a shoe that both fits and functions appropriately. Don’t let a few bumps cause pain- in a vast majority of cases, there is a solution that will allow you to train more comfortably. If you’re concerned about bunions, or other bony bumps on your feet, come and see one of the podiatrists at intraining to investigate the issue and get you back on your feet.

Book an appointment or call 07 3367 3088.