How to get rid of bunions?

Bunions are a common problem of the feet. They are an enlargement of the big toe joint and are associated with a hallux valgus which is a deviation of the big toe over towards the lessor toes. They are more common in females and are more common in those who wear tighter fitting shoes. There is also a genetic component to them which seems to increase the risk in some people, but genetics also appears to play a role in decreasing the risk in other people. Bunions can become painful inside the joint from arthritis like symptoms and also from pressure on the enlarged joint from the footwear. They also look unsightly.

There is only one way to get rid of bunions and that is with surgery. There is no other way. There are no exercises that can cure bunions. There are no natural home remedies that can be used to get rid of bunions. A quick search online with show, literally, 1000’s of websites all providing information on how to get rid of them. None of the touted methods work and the simply can not get rid of them. All of the claims for them are made up. All the before and after photos are faked. You will not find any scientific evidence that any of these approaches actually work at getting rid of bunions. Try asking those who promote all these method for some published scientific evidence in a peer reviewed journal showing they work and see how they react. Only surgery can get rid of them.

Having said that, that does not mean that there is nothing that can be done to help the pain if surgery is not an option. There is plenty that can be done to help with the pain associated with bunions. It is just that these methods do not make it go away. The first approach in dealing with the pain is to get into footwear that is wide enough. Properly fitting shoes that are wide enough will take off the pressure that is causing the pain and also take off the pressure that will push the toe over further and make it worse. If the bunion is particularly large, finding the right footwear can be a problem. A podiatrist can fashion pads shaped like donuts that can be worn over the bunion to help get more pressure off it and help with the pain. There are also various silicone pads that you can buy for this. If the pain is particularly bad, then the short term use of pain medication can be helpful. This is not a good option over the long term. If the pain is more inside the joint rather than from shoe pressure on the enlarged joint, then this is often helped with exercises and bunion correctors. The exercises can help keep the joint mobile and the bunion corrector stretched the toe towards a more correct position. The bunion corrector will not work at correcting the alignment of the toe, but the stretching of the joint using them is helpful for the pain.

Craig Payne is a University lecturer, runner, cynic, researcher, skeptic, forum admin, woo basher, clinician, rabble-rouser, blogger and a dad.