Why do women get bunions?
posted: Feb. 21, 2014.
To a woman, the development of a bunion is like the kiss of death for their social life. No more high heels or pretty shoes.
A bunion is when the joint between the 1st metatarsal and long bone in the toe enlarges because the big toe is not longer aligned straight with the 1st metatarsal. This happens near the base of the big toe on the inside part of the foot. The big toe starts leaning toward the smaller toes. Bunions can be quite painful and decrease the selection of shoes at the store that fit properly.
Harvard researchers took the data on 386 women aged 20-64 from the 600 MOBILIZE Boston Study to see who had the greatest chance to develop bunions. They found that 58% of the women in the study developed bunions and surprisingly, those who had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater had less risk of developing bunions.
Here’s what that weight information breaks down to:
| Height | Less risk of developing a bunion at this weight |
| 5' | 155 lbs |
| 5'1" | 160 lbs |
| 5'2" | 165 lbs |
| 5'3" | 170 lbs |
| 5'4" | 175 lbs |
| 5'5" | 180 lbs |
| 5'6" | 185 lbs |
| 5'7" | 190 lbs |
| 5'8" | 200 lbs |
| 5'9" | 205 lbs |
| 5'10" | 210 lbs |
| 5'11" | 215 lbs |
| 6' | 220 lbs |
Women who also usually wore high heels after age 20 were more likely to have bunions.
Sheldon Nadal DPM practices minimally invasive surgery to remove bunions. If you have bunions, give us a call at (416) 486-9917 to find out how we can help you.