Foot - Bunions
Your foot is made up of bones, tendons and ligaments - which are fibrous bands that hold the bones together. There are twenty-six bones in the foot. In the middle part of your foot are five bones, called metatarsals. These attach to the bones of your toes, which are called phalanges. There are three phalanges per toe, except for the big toe, which only has two.
The joints where the metatarsals and phalanges meet are called MTP joints. These joints are each surrounded by a capsule that helps it stay lubricated with fluid. The first MTP joint is located on the inside of each foot. This is where bunions occur.
The tendons that cross the top and bottom of the first MTP joint begin from the muscles in the foot and leg. These tendons allow the toes to move and support weight. In the normal foot, they pull equally to keep the big toe pointing straight ahead.
