Suturing foot. View of the hands of a medical worker suturing (stitching) a patient's foot. This is being done to close the wound and promote healing. The patient has just had an operation to remove a bunion. These are painful, fluid filled pads at the base of the big toe. They are generally caused by a hallux valgus, a deformity in which the big toe joint projects out from the foot, and the toe itself points inwards. This is commonly caused by wearing shoes which are too tight, or more rarely by an inherited weakness of the joint. Small bunions can be corrected with well-fitted shoes and a special pad, but large bunions must be surgically removed.