Anyone who’s experienced the painful, swollen bony bump on their big toe knows that bunion pain is no small matter. Bunions are caused by either a genetic malformation of the foot at the base of the big toe’s joint, poorly fitted shoes, constant stress at the base of the big toe’s joint or a combination of one or more of these factors.
Bunion pain can be excruciating because not only is the joint of the big toe involved, but also the tendons, ligaments and supportive structures of the first metatarsal are affected as they are pulled out of position or over stretched. As the greater toe is pulled to the side bunion pain also impacts the structure of the second toe causing even more pain.
Often the condition can lead to arthritis affecting the joint as well so care should be taken to not only minimize bunion pain, but also attempt to correct the joint’s being influenced to move.
The first correction to eliminate bunion pain should be to examine footwear and gear. The shoes should be loose, but not slide off the foot or the heel. The heel should be as flat to the ground as possible so as not to put stress on the big toe, the joint or the upper metatarsal region. Avoid shoes with ‘pointy toes’ or those that even narrow toward the toes.
To further reduce bunion pain avoid activities that call for putting all the weight on the toes or that will put stress on the joint of the big toe. There are many orthopedic devices on the market that can help correct the bunion and lessen the discomfort.
There are many products to look into that can minimize bunion pain. Customizing and finding the right product is usually easy. There are for instance toe spreaders which can take the pressure off the big toe and more evenly distribute the weight of the body when walking or standing. There are also many splints, braces, and slings that work much the same way.
If the bunion pain is very bad or correction isn’t working in a timely manner a doctor might recommend surgery to correct the condition.