Helpful Hints for Bunion Relief

Bunions can be the result of heredity, poor-fitting shoes, arthritis or stress on your foot. This condition happens when a bony nodule forms at the outer base of your big toe, often causing your big toe to bend inward and cramp the other toes. Bunions can be mild to severely painful. Luckily, there are various ways to relieve the pain and discomfort of this condition.

Footwear

• Shoes can play a major role in forming bunions and either aggravating them or alleviating their pain. Always wear shoes that allow plenty of room for your toes. Women should be especially careful if they are on their feet most of the day and wear heels frequently; this is because many women's shoes that may look good are very poorly designed as far as sound foot support and adequate room for toes. Shoe inserts (prescription and nonprescription), along with taping and padding, also can lessen the discomfort of bunions.

Pain Relief

• Sometimes a bunion may become more inflamed and painful. During these times, try icing the area several times a day. Other remedies include ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and naproxen (Alleve). Your doctor may recommend cortisone injections for pain. These injections are placed into the toe joint and relive pain for a temporary period of time.

Surgery

• If your the pain associated with your bunion becomes unbearable and/or is not responding to other methods of treatment, you may want to consider bunion surgery. Several different types of bunion surgery exist. Usually the bunion is removed, and other corrective measures may need to be applied. These measures include surgically repairing the surround joints, bones, tendons and/or ligaments.