A bunion is an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe. The big toe may turn toward the second toe. The tissues around the joint may be swollen and tender.

A bunion can hurt and make it hard to walk. Shoes may rub on the bunion, causing pain, blisters, calluses , or sores. 

You could also get skin and bone infections around the bunion, especially if you have diabetes or peripheral arterial disease . If you have one of these problems and you start to get sores, talk to your doctor.

Some people are embarrassed by how their bunion looksThere are more than 100 surgeries for bunions. It's not clear which type of surgery is best. Surgery needs to be tailored to your condition. More than one procedure may be done at the same time.

Types of bunion surgery include:

• Removing the part of the foot that is bulging out. This procedure is called exostectomy or bunionectomy.
• Realigning the tissues around the big toe joint.
• Making small cuts in the bones of the foot and moving the bones into a more normal position.
• Removing bone from the end of the first metatarsal bone. Both the big toe and the metatarsal bones are then reshaped.
• Fusing the big toe joint. The surgeon removes part of the joint so the bones join together, or fuse.
• Fusing the joint where the metatarsal bone joins the mid-foot.
• Implanting all or part of an artificial joint.