Advice on Foot Care

A bunionette, also called a tailor’s bunion, is a structural change in the foot. The long bone on the outside of the foot, the 5th metatarsal, moves away from the center line of the body and the 5th toe moves towards the other toes, as seen in the image to the left. This movement results in a structural change and causes a bump to form on the outside of the foot. The development of a bunionette is very similar to the development of a bunion. Bunions and bunionettes develop as a result of abnormal mechanics and abnormal tendon pull in the foot and generally take a few years to form. The type of pain associated with a bunionette is a deep, dull, achy pain which is worse with shoes and walking. Shoes can aggravate a bunionette and cause redness and swelling in the area.

Treatments include:

• Modifying shoes so that excess pressure is removed from the painful area.
• Padding can help disperse the pressure and alleviate pain. The pads should be placed around the painful and/or swollen area.
• Orthotics can help to control abnormal motion which may be contributing to the development of the bunionette.
• Anti-inflammatory medications, such as naproxen, may help to decrease the inflammation.
• Contrasting between hot and cold may help to decrease the inflammation. Use ice for 5 minutes and then heat for 5 minutes – alternate for 30 minutes, twice a day.
• Surgery may be indicated when conservative treatments fail.

More information on tailor’s bunions.
More information on bunions.

Tags: bunion, bunionette, tailor's bunion

1 Comment »

Trackback URI | Comments RSS