The colour of your hair, eyes, your height or lack of it, and your overall body shape are determined by the gene pool supplied from your parents, therefore it goes without saying that some foot ailments may have come directly from your parents as well.

Many people their bunions developed from wearing incorrect footwear when they were younger or shoes that were too high and had pointed toes, which in some cases is true, however there is a very strong hereditary component.

In all honesty, the bunion itself is not passed on to you from your parents.

It is the way your foot functions that causes the bunion to develop over a period of time.

When you walk your body weight should pass directly through your big toe, however if a person’s foot rolls inwards too much (over-pronates), resulting in the arch flattening, then the body weight transfers off the side of the big toe and slowly pushes it across to the lesser toes.

This is why you will rarely see a bunion in a high-arched foot-type.

Bunions develop slowly over many years. Once the deformity develops it can be aggravated by tight footwear, which creates the redness over the bunion area.

This is why people think bunions are caused from footwear, not realising the footwear is secondary to the underlying poor foot alignment.

Once a true bunion deformity is present, it cannot be reversed, unless you are prepared to have surgery, however their development can be slowed, and they may even be prevented with early treatment.

If there is an underlying foot problem, causing the foot to roll inwards too much, some form of foot support may be very beneficial.

It’s important to understand that even if surgery is performed, bunions can redevelop if the foot continues to roll inwards after the surgery.

 This is why you should see a podiatrist at Heal Focus Podiatry to get an opinion early on management.  

We are the foot experts for a reason.

 If you’re having problems with bunions or concerned about a family members foot, please call 0401828001 or book online at https://heal-focus-podiatry.cliniko.com/bookings