Bunion Pain or Not? That is the Question

Hi Dr. Blake, I emailed you about a year and a half ago about a sesamoid bone that I broke and then had removed after about a year of it not healing. Now I have another issue I would like to ask about.  On the other foot I think I may have a bunion forming, but I am not sure if that is what the problem is. At first I thought the other foot hurt because it had to work harder to make up for the first broken one. Now I am still having issues and tenderness in the ball of my foot, but I don't think my other foot is compensating now.  Since I found a lot of information about my first foot issue on your blog, that is the first place I decided to look now. I am wondering how to determine if I have a bunion or not. I have a painful area below the great toe and today it began to turn red. The great toe is not turning toward the other toes yet. Since I have been healing from my sesamoid injury I have begun to get back into martial arts and I am not sure if something like that, since it is a barefoot sport, would encourage this to come on.  Neither of my parents have had bunions and I am not sure of my grand parents, but much of the information says it is hereditary. I looked at the information you posted for the different items from Foot Smart, but I am not ready to buy them before I know for sure that is my issue. Can you give me a suggestion of where to find information about diagnosing this or if I need to visit my doctor for x-rays to decide. I appreciate all your information you have for us and for any help you could offer me. Thank you! Dr Blake's comment:       I attached my You Tube video on Bunion diagnosis. I hope it is helpful. Rich