Bunions really are a common problem of the foot, particularly in women. Bunions are an enlargement on the inside of the great toe joint that could become painful in footwear and joint pain in the joint may also be a concern. They are considered more prevalent in females because they are more prone to use more restrictive and poorer fitting shoes. The cause of bunions are considered to be a mixture of environment and genetics. The environmental problems are tighter fitting shoes that deforms the foot. There is also a genetic component as people who do not wear shoes might get them. It is currently generally assumed that the shoes is probably not the cause, but poorer shoes brings the bunions on at a younger age, makes them develop faster and helps make the outcome a whole lot worse.
The only way to make bunions go away is via surgical treatment. There are many different techniques extensively promoted online and in social media, but none of these fix bunions. They frequently use bogus before and after pictures and fake testimonials. Surgical procedures are not necessarily trivial and may lead to some impairment afterwards with a long and slow return to full walking. When surgery is not suggested or not needed, then normally the pain can be dealt with by many other approaches. If you have too much pressure on the bunion, then using wider and better fitting footwear that is broader can often help. Otherwise, then pads on the foot to get pressure off the enlarged joint can certainly help. Whilst corrective braces don't work at aligning the big toe, they can be helpful as a physical therapy treatment to keep the joint flexible. This usually helps with pain within the bunion. If you are having issues with bunions then a podiatrist is probably the best to provide guidance regarding if surgical or conservative treatment is the better method.