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General health information

Bunion (hallux valgus)

Hallux valgus is a change in alignment in which the big toe points towards the other toes and a bump develops on the inside of the foot. This may cause pain, pressure areas, calluses and difficulty with shoes. Not every bump is hallux valgus: a warm, red, painful bump may also indicate gout or infection. Suitable shoes and reducing pressure often help, but further treatment is sometimes needed.

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  • Hallux valgus is an angled big toe with a bony bump on the inside of the foot.
  • Symptoms often result from shoe pressure, irritation of tissues around the joint and changes in strain during standing and walking.
  • Roomy shoes with a wide toe box are often the most important first step.
  • Not every painful bump is hallux valgus. Gout, inflammation, osteoarthritis or another foot condition can cause similar symptoms.
  • With redness, warmth, fever, rapidly increasing pain or a wound, contact your GP or HAP 9252 sooner.

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Further reading

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C
CornsA corn is a hard, pressure-sensitive core of thickened skin caused by friction and pressure, usually on toes or soles. It may look small but be very painful when walking or wearing shoes. Treatment focuses on reducing pressure and safely removing excess hard skin. If you have diabetes, poor circulation or reduced feeling in your feet, do not cut the skin or use acids yourself; have the area assessed.
G
GoutGout is joint inflammation caused by deposited uric acid crystals. It often produces a suddenly very painful, red, hot, swollen joint, classically the big toe but also the ankle, knee, midfoot, wrist, fingers or elbow. An attack can closely resemble infection. Septic arthritis is a dangerous mimic requiring prompt exclusion, sometimes by joint aspiration. Have a professional choose attack treatment and do not independently stop a prescribed urate-lowering medicine such as allopurinol. Kidney function, kidney stones, tophi, lifestyle, dehydration and monitoring the urate target matter for long-term care.
I
Ingrown toenailAn ingrown toenail develops when the nail edge presses or grows into the skin beside it. This often causes pain, redness and swelling, usually in the big toe. Early on, reducing pressure, drying carefully and trimming correctly may help, but picking, digging or cutting a V shape often makes things worse. Seek assessment sooner with diabetes, poor circulation, neuropathy, reduced immunity, pus, spreading redness, cellulitis or fever.