Dawaa Reference

chronic

Hallux valgus (bunion)

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

Hallux Valgus - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (NBK553092) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553092/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class LD71.01 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified against1 document
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (4)

  • Patients typically describe gradual forefoot widening along with pain, swelling, and redness over the inner side of the big toe joint [redness]
  • Sharp or deep pain at the big-toe joint is worsened by walking and by tight-fitting shoes
  • Some patients also feel pain under the second metatarsal head due to overload from first-ray instability
  • Tingling, numbness, or burning along the top-inner side of the big toe suggests compression of a nearby sensory nerve [numbness · tingling]

Signs — what you find (4)

  • The classic bunion forms as the great toe drifts and rotates outward while the first metatarsal head shifts inward
  • Friction over the bunion prominence leads to skin and nerve irritation and bursitis underneath
  • Pressure shifted onto the lesser metatarsals, especially the second, can lead to metatarsalgia and eventual hammer toe deformity [visible deformity]
  • Normal big-toe joint motion is about 15 degrees of upward bend and 65 to 75 degrees of downward bend; check for pain or crepitus [crepitus]

Tests (4)

  • Diagnosis is mainly clinical, but weight-bearing x-rays are the gold-standard imaging to measure the deformity
  • Blood tests aren't routinely needed unless something points to a metabolic, inflammatory, or systemic cause
  • The AP x-ray view measures the hallux valgus angle and the intermetatarsal angle and shows sesamoid positioning
  • If deep infection or bone infection is suspected, such as with an ulcer or a prior failed operation, MRI or a bone scan may be used

If not this — what else fits (3)

  • Hallux rigidus/limitus is on the differential for hallux valgus
  • Turf toe, gout, and septic arthritis are also on the differential
  • Peripheral neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease are on the differential

SourceStatPearls "Hallux Valgus" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

Lateral deviation of the great toe with bunion formation; managed conservatively with footwear advice and analgesia, with surgical referral for severe or refractory deformity. - Refer, with advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

Lateral deviation of the great toe with bunion formation; managed conservatively with footwear advice and analgesia, with surgical referral for severe or refractory deformity.

Cautions
  • Skin breakdown, ulceration, or infection over the bunion, especially important in patients with diabetes.
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.