What is this? It bloody hurts

[PainfulBigToe]

I've had this for a few years. A hard lump on side of big toe near the joint. It flares up occasionally. But it's really painful today....

Is it a bunion?

A bursa? When inflamed they hurt (bursitis)

Could be gout, which is often triggered by dehydration - just a thought if it has flared up in this hot weather.

If it’s hard then I think that’s a classic Bunion.

Maybe. I remember it flared up one winter. I went for a painful walk in the snow. But the cold completely cured the pain

wrong joint for a bunion. Could be gout. GP will be able to help.

@Greybeardycommon misconception. Although they are most common on the base joint they can appear on any joint and any toe.

Looks like gout.

How do you get rid of bunions?

Surgery.

Aren’t bunions always on the same joint? The one below the OPs bump

I had gout in the past (knock on wood not for a long time now), and it was mainly on the next joint down from where your swelling is. That was on the classic bunion site - if you dare look at pics of bunions! But it was gout and bloody painful I can tell you.

Yours may be gout also, as the swelling can be anywhere along the toe joint and across other toes too. Again, if you dare to look at pictures, you'll see what I mean.

Mine was treated with Colchisine and it worked like a dream as it is for pain caused by uric acid crystals.

The pain is awful with gout. Get yourself to GP, they may test your uric acid levels to see if in fact it is gout, and take it from there.

At first glance I thought it was an odd looking thumb 😬

I have no further advice to what has already been mentioned.

Is it hot to the touch? And is the skin shiny? If not then it’s not gout.

but also if you’ve had this for a couple of years and never been in enough pain to see a doctor for it then I very much doubt it’s gout. gout is excruciatingly painful, even the softest touch is agony.

No, as I said up thread thats a misconception. They are most commonly on the base joint of the big toe but they can be on any joint on any toe.

Looking online, While the classic bunion (hallux valgus) forms at the base of the big toe, and a tailor's bunion (bunionette) forms at the base of the little toe, a bony prominence can sometimes develop on the top of the big toe joint. However, this is not classified as a bunion.
The bump on the top of the big toe joint is more commonly associated with hallux rigidus or hallux limitus, which are forms of arthritis affecting the big toe joint. In these conditions, bone spurs (bony overgrowths) can develop on the top of the joint, causing pain, stiffness, and a noticeable bump.

• Underlying cause: A bunion is primarily a misalignment of the bones, causing the big toe to angle inward. A bump on top is usually due to bone spur formation from arthritis within the joint.

See my post below yours. It’s not a bunion

Thank you. Could be. Lump from a slightly different angle