Can a Bunion Cause Burning Sensations?

Roughly 20% of people suffer from bunions, painful lumps that form along the side of your foot just below your big toe. Bunions can cause a lot of pain, even with simple activities like walking, and the deformity they cause can make it harder to find shoes that fit, too. 

Many people don’t know that bunions can also cause other symptoms, including burning sensations around your toe and into your foot. Recognizing this less-common symptom can help you seek treatment early before a bunion causes more severe deformity.

At Forward Foot & Ankle, our team helps relieve bunion symptoms for greater comfort and mobility. Here’s why bunions sometimes cause a burning sensation and other symptoms.

Bunion basics

Bunions form where the base of the big toe bone meets the midfoot bone. Typically, these bones are aligned and designed to support normal walking activities. But sometimes, the upper bone is pushed out of alignment, and a painful bump forms at the union of the two bones.

Lots of issues can contribute to bunion formation. Some people are more prone to bunions because of an inherited foot shape or gait pattern or a prior foot or toe injury. Often, bunions happen when your toes are forced together from prolonged use of shoes that are too tight in the toe area.

When the big toe is forced inward toward the other toes, it forces the joint out of its normal alignment. Over time, this position can become permanent, and the resulting bunion or lump can cause pain during even the simplest activities. Finding shoes that fit comfortably can also be a lot more work.

Burning and other symptoms

Considering how bunions form and the lump they eventually cause, it’s unsurprising that they can cause a lot of pain, particularly along the side of your foot and into your big toe. But pain is just one possible symptom caused by bunions. Burning sensations can occur, too.

Typically, burning sensations happen when the bunion presses against nerves surrounding the big toe joint. Sometimes, inflammation around the bunion causes nerve compression or irritation, along with sensations of burning, tingling, and numbness in your toe or elsewhere in your foot.

Nerve compression can happen even before the bunion lump becomes noticeable, thanks to gradually increasing swelling and inflammation around the joint. Like pain, burning sensations can become more pronounced depending on your shoes and how much time you spend on your feet.

Of course, burning sensations and numbness can also be signs of nerve damage, including peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes or other underlying medical conditions. Evaluating any unusual foot sensation as early as possible supports rapid relief and helps prevent the underlying problem from worsening.

Treating bunions

Many bunions can be treated with custom orthotics designed to support your foot while relieving pressure on the bunion and the big toe. Our custom orthotics are made just for your foot for ultimate comfort and durability. 

But while orthotics may provide relief, they won’t cure the bunion. A splint or other corrective treatment can help coax the joint back into alignment in its initial stages. But as the bunion progresses, the only option for complete correction is to have minimally invasive surgery.

Bunion surgery uses advanced techniques to restore the toe joint and reestablish proper alignment. Surgical fasteners hold the bones in place to stabilize the area and prevent recurrence. In some instances, we may fuse the joint together instead. If the bunion has damaged ligaments, tendons, or other tissues, these can also be repaired during surgery.

Find relief for your painful bunion

A bunion can cause a lot of pain, but with the right therapy, you can feel better and prevent permanent damage, too. To learn more about bunion treatment, request an appointment online or over the phone with the Forward Foot & Ankle team in Midtown Manhattan and Staten Island, New York, today.