Bunion pain management

A bunion is a bony bump on the side of your big toe joint formed by your first metatarsal shifting out of place. At first your bunion may only cause mild discomfort, yet over time can lead to more pain as it progresses.

While a bunionectomy is the only way to fix a bunion, there are ways to manage your bunion pain in the interim. These methods won’t get rid of your bunion, but can slow its progression and alleviate discomfort in the meantime.

In this article, we’ll explore the different ways you can manage your bunion pain, from orthotic soles and footwear to ligament-strengthening bunion exercises.

What causes bunion pain?

Bunion pain is mainly caused by the bump formed by your misaligned metatarsal pressing against your shoes as you walk, causing your skin to become red, blistered, and even infected. This rubbing can leave your foot sore for a while after walking, even after you’ve taken your shoes off. As well as rubbing, the eccentrically aligned big toe joint can cause some pain in the joint itself. 

Your bunion can also cause bursitis by inflaming the bursae around your big toe joint. Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion your bones, reduce friction between other structures in your foot and facilitate smooth movement by lubricating tissues in your body. When a bunion develops, extra pressure is added to the bursae in your foot, causing them to become irritated and inflamed.

What does bunion pain feel like?

When you first develop a bunion, you may feel mild discomfort as your bunion rubs against the inside of your shoe. You may feel rubbing on the skin over your bunion, but this pain can be managed with padding between your foot and your shoe.

Over time, this discomfort develops into a more intense pain as the bunion becomes inflamed, causing throbbing and soreness in the area. You may feel this pain heightens when you wear shoes, or when you walk.

As your bunion develops, your big toe may move inward towards your second toe, causing calluses and blisters to both your big toe and second toe as the skin rubs together. If left untreated you could develop crossover toe, where your second toe crosses over your big toe.

How to alleviate bunion pain

While bunion surgery is the only way to remove your bunion, there are measures you can take in the meantime to alleviate your bunion pain.

The approach you take to managing your bunion pain may depend on the severity of your bunion, although in the early stages of development, there are measures you can take to stop your bunion from getting worse.

Wear wide shoes

Contrary to popular belief, bunions are not caused by wearing high heels or tight-fitting shoes. Nonetheless, ditching these types of shoes can not only slow the progression of your bunion development, but can ease the pain of your bunions, too.

Shoes with a wide, flexible sole are best for bunions, as they support your feet while giving your bunion extra room, preventing it from rubbing against the inside of your shoe. Athletic shoes, sandals and shoes made from soft leather are the best pick.

You should also avoid wearing heels higher than an inch if you have a bunion. Heels push your body’s weight forward, putting extra pressure on your toes and adding to the strain on your big toe joint.

Orthotic insoles

As well as opting for wide shoes, an orthotic insole can help alleviate bunion pain. Orthotics redistribute the pressure around your feet, correcting your posture and taking the extra weight off your bunion.

You can get orthotic insoles over the counter or can get a prescription orthotic insole designed specifically for your feet.

Bunion pads

Bunion pads are specifically designed to act as a buffer between your bunion and your shoe, alleviating any pain caused by rubbing.

Applying ice

Whether an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas, applying ice to your bunion can help with soreness and swelling. This approach is often used if your bunion has become inflamed, or if you’ve been on your feet too long.

To avoid damaging the skin surrounding your bunion, wrap your ice or frozen peas in a towel before pressing down, holding the towel in place for no longer than 20 minutes at a time.

Medication

If taking the pressure off your feet hasn’t helped, over-the-counter medication can be used to temporarily alleviate bunion pain.

Paracetamol can be used to target bunion pain, while naproxen and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can alleviate pain and inflammation. Topical gels can also be used to ease pain, inflammation and redness by numbing the surrounding area.

Depending on the severity of your bunion, your consultant may also recommend a cortisone shot, otherwise known as a steroid injection, to alleviate pain in the short-term.

Bunion exercises

While weak muscles in your feet and legs don’t cause bunions they can contribute to bunion pain, making it difficult to walk and carry out daily tasks.

To counter this, you could perform a series of bunion exercises designed to strengthen the muscles in your feet and improve the flexibility of your big toe joint.

These exercises don’t reduce or get rid of bunions, nor do they prevent further deformity, but they can help alleviate pain.

Make sure you’re barefoot when carrying out these exercises, starting with sitting in a chair before progressing to standing up and balancing on one leg.

• Start by bending your toes upwards and holding for 30 seconds before repeating another couple of times.
• Next, aim to spread your toes out as far as you possibly can.
• While keeping your toes flat, shorten and raise the arch of your foot, holding for 10 seconds before flattening your foot out again.
• Raise only your big toe for 10 seconds while keeping your other toes flat on the floor.
• Wrap a small exercise band around your big toes. With the heels together and your feet forming a ‘V’ shape, pull your big toes towards each other and hold when your toes are pointing forward.

Bunion surgery

If your bunion pain is severe enough that it interferes with your daily activities, your consultant will recommend bunion surgery.

The type of bunion surgery your consultant recommends is based on the severity of your bunion and your personal circumstances, and includes both open bunion surgery and minimally invasive bunion surgery (also known as keyhole bunion surgery).

If you’re considering bunion surgery, you can book an appointment with one of our foot and ankle specialist orthopaedic surgeons to find out more today.

Bunion pain management in summary

While there isn’t much you can do to prevent bunions forming, there are measures you can take to alleviate bunion pain and slow the progression of your bunion.

The measures you take may vary depending on the severity of your bunion, but if your bunions are causing severe discomfort and conservative measures are no longer working, you might need to consider bunion surgery.

Our expert orthopaedic consultants are here to support you every step of the way, from diagnosing your bunion and its severity, to advising you on your bunion treatment and recovery. To find out more, call Circle Health Group today or book a consultation online.