Help for bunions
We understand bunions can be a major problem causing pain, instability and limitations to your activity levels and footwear choices.
At Complete Podiatry, we help clients every day with bunions. We realise bunions can limit your mobility, footwear choices and increase the risk of falls and poorer health. Taking care of your bunions is just another way we help to build amazing lives from the feet up.
Bunions are a slow dislocation of the big toe joint
As the big toe joint slowly changes its position, a bony lump often forms on the side of your Metatarsophalangeal joint (big toe joint) which we all know of as a classical bunion joint.
Bunions are quite easily the most common forefoot condition we see in the clinic. Typically, up to 35% of the population over the age of 65 have some stage of bunion development.
Your experience of bunions will be different from every other person. What we know from pain research is that your pain will vary on a day-to-day basis depending on the types of activities you are doing, the types of shoes you are wearing and how long you are on your feet.
Bunions can be symptomatic (painful) or asymptomatic (not painful) depending on the severity of the bunions and other contributing factors.
With symptomatic bunions you will usually feel:
- Pain along the side of the big toe joint where the bunion has developed
- Swelling and redness about the big toe joint
- Pain in the big toe joint when rising onto your toes
- Pain along the 2nd to 5th toes in the affected foot caused by overloading due to the poor function of the big toe
- Pain may be exacerbated by tight-fitting shoes
There are many different treatment options for bunions
Most of the clients we help with bunions are looking to try everything they can before having surgery on their bunions. Now surgery can certainly help bunions, but as I tell clients, once you have had surgery, you can't change that fact.
For many of our clients, often our first recommendation is to try all the possible conservative options they can to help their bunion pain including:
Footwear changes- Your footwear will need to be reviewed it is the most appropriate shoe to suit your foot shape so that the shoe doesn't put excess pressure on the bunion.
Strength and conditioning - When your big toe starts to shift out of alignment it causes some muscles surrounding your big toe joint to become tighter and weaker. These weakened muscles require specific exercises to help strengthen them to help slow down the progression of the bunion.
Customised Orthoses - Orthoses when prescribed correctly work by moving load away from painful areas and improving joint function. If you have biomechanical factors which are contributing to the bunion development orthoses will help to reduce the pain and load in your big toe joint.
Paddings - Certain paddings provided by your Podiatrist may be helpful at offloading your big toe joint.
If these conservative measures are unsuccessful in reducing your pain then a surgical opinion may be recommended.
Just remember, even if we recommend you consult a surgeon for your bunion, you don't have to have surgery! We just want you to have all the information to make the best choice for you.
Free from bunion pain
When it comes to your bunions, the best treatments need to be tailored to your needs. That's why our Podiatrists take the time to talk with you about your goals and expectations before developing your individualised bunion management plan.
Just remember though, even if we recommend you consult a surgeon for your bunion, you don't have to have surgery! We just want you to have all the information to make the best choices about your bunions.
We will be working together on multiple areas that contribute to your bunion pain. This will include reducing stress on damaged tissues, hands-on treatment and exercise rehabilitation.
Sometimes progress moves quickly, and other times you might feel we have hit a plateau. What's important to know is that we need to trust the process as changing the plan too much usually has a negative result on recovery.
It takes teamwork! What we do outside of the clinic is just as important as what we do within it - What you do at home can go a long way to you getting better, faster!
The Complete Podiatry team can help you live the life you want to without your bunions limiting what you can do. Phone us now or contact us here if you feel now's the time you finally did something to help with that bunion pain you have been living with.