Why do your toes hurt? The causes of bunions and what can be done to treat your feet

Hallux vagus, or bunions, are a foot condition characterised by bony bumps that form at the base of the big toe and are permanent until surgically removed

There are more than 130 different types of surgery available to treat bunions and, treated early, some can be removed using minimally invasive surgery

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Painful toes? You might have bunions – bony bumps at the base of the big toe that are permanent until surgically removed. Photo: Tory Ho

Published: 8:00pm, 15 Mar 2020Updated: 8:00pm, 15 Mar 2020

Oprah Winfrey, Victoria Beckham and Amal Clooney share more in common than just their celebrity status. They all suffer from hallux vagus – more commonly known as bunions – a foot condition characterised by bony bumps that form on the joint at the base of the big toe.

Despite the pain, pressure and associated health risks, these superstars have opted not to have surgery on their bunions.

Hong Kong-based Fran Lebowitz is in no rush to go under the knife, either. Genetically predisposed to bunions, which affect around a third of adults worldwide, the 56-year-old literary agent and fiction editor says her feet began to profoundly hurt in her early 20s.

“I always had hammer toes; I think my bunions were forming when I was around 22. I walked in high heels all day, up and down Manhattan and went out dancing at the discos. When I took my heels off for bed, there was a transition period that had me shutting my eyes against the pain.”

(From left) Oprah Winfrey, Victoria Beckham and Amal Clooney all suffer from hallux vagus, more commonly known as bunions. Photo: Reuters/AFP

As Lebowitz’ experience shows, wearing heels does not cause bunions, but can aggravate them. Dr Yeung Yeung, a specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology at Matilda International Hospital in Hong Kong, explains: “Patients may have genetic predisposing factors like underlying flat foot or flexible soft tissues. This makes it easier for their feet to lose, or change in, orientation and become deformed over time.”