Order Your Free Book about Bunions
To Request an appointment with Dr. Schneider
Most people are familiar with a bunion that forms on the side of the great toe joint. But did you know that you can get a bunion on the other side of your foot? Near your little toe? My name is Dr. Andrew Schneider, and I'm a podiatrist in Houston, Texas. Bunions are one of the most common findings that I see in my patients of all ages. A bunion on the side of your little toe is called a bunionette or a tailor's bunion. It may or may not be painful. And some people just don't like how it looks. In today's video, I'll discuss what a tailor's bunion is and also why it forms.
So what is a #bunionette or a #TailorsBunion? A tailor's bunion is a protrusion of bone on the outside of your foot. It's right beneath your little toe. A tailor's bunion forms for several reasons. First is mechanical forces. That can cause that fifth metatarsal bone, that's the bone right before your little toe. It can cause it to rotate towards the outside of your foot. And sometimes when that happens, you'll see your fifth toe rolling in on its side, and sometimes even hiding underneath your fourth toe. Another reason for a tailor's bunion could be that the fifth metatarsal is bowed. If that's the case, that's just how you're built. It's important to note, though, that the bump that you see on the side of the joint is the head of the metatarsal bone protruding. It's not a bone spur.
So why does a tailor's bunion or bunionette form? Well, the easy answer is kind of the same answer as why a bunion forms by the great toe joint. You can thank a parent or a grandparent for giving you their genetic foot structure. You inherit the foot type, and that's predisposing you to forming a tailor's bunion. Now, while any foot type can develop a tailors bunion, it's particularly common with people with high arched feet. That's because a high arched foot naturally puts the pressure towards the outside of the foot. And that pressure can push out that metatarsal bone. But if we catch it early, there are ways to prevent the tailor's bunion from progressing. And we'll discuss that in a future video.
Well, it's a tailor's bunion painful? And the answer is sometimes. It really depends on the severity of the bunionette. It depends on the shoes you like to wear. It depends on the activity and exercise you like to do. For instance, it might not be painful if you go out for a run, but it may become painful if you're playing tennis. That's because of the pivoting and the lateral movements involved with tennis. The treatment for a tailor's bunion is similar to treatment for a bunion of the great toe joint. And we're going to discuss that in next week's video, where we'll discuss how to treat a bunion using non-surgical treatments and over the counter bunion correctors.