Often the big toe is deviated laterally or towards the lesser toes and the 1st metatarsal bone at the side of the foot is angulated as well. Early Signs Bunions can appear as early as teenage years, but more commonly they tend to slowly progress and show up in the 20 to 30 age group as an early bunion development. If left untreated over the years, the big toe tends to drift further towards the lesser toes and the build-up at the side of the big toe joint tends to worsen. Many people are surprised to discover that they have bunions even though they have worn comfortable shoes all their lives. Obviously a woman's dress shoe will aggravate a bunion problem if it is narrow or pointed and squeezes the toes.
Bunions can and do occur in men as well.
In fact, bunions occur in non-shoe wearing populations in Africa. Cause of Bunions Shoes tend to aggravate a pre-existing problem, but it is the foot mechanics that usually causes the bunion problem. The foot structure that one is born with can create bunions in later life. We find that teenagers and children who have flat feet, and whose parents or grandparents have bunions, may very well go on to develop a bunion problem unless treated preventively. The reason for this is that when someone with a flattened foot walks, instead of pushing off the bottom of the big toe, the foot rolls in towards the other foot and the pressure during the push-off phase of the gait cycle is at the side of the big toe rather than the bottom of the big toe.