Painful!  Annoying! Shoes that don’t fit! Don’t let bunions stop you! A bunion is when the big toe joint moves out of alignment in an inward direction causing a ‘lump’ on the side of the foot. This results in...

Painful!  Annoying! Shoes that don’t fit!

Don’t let bunions stop you!

A bunion is when the big toe joint moves out of alignment in an inward direction causing a ‘lump’ on the side of the foot. This results in a boney deformity and can cause other toes to start moving in the same direction. Having a bunion can also cause the big toe joint to not work properly when walking, resulting in poor biomechanics and ultimately pain!

Common symptoms include:

Redness Tenderness/ pain Burning sensation Swelling

Bunions are usually caused by genetics, the structure of the joint/ bone and inadequate footwear (such as high heels or shoes with a tight toe box).

Treatment options!

Unfortunately, without surgery the bunion will never be 100 percent straight again however, there are many less invasive treatment options to reduce the progression of a bunion and pain. These include:

Changes to footwear – Having a wider toe box area Orthoses Therapy – To change the way your foot walks to reduce pressure on the joint Exercise Program – To strengthen the surrounding foot muscles

Usually the first step is to get checked out by a podiatrist to see which of these or combination of these can help.

Here are some exercises that you can do right now to get you started!

4 best exercises for your bunions that you can do right now!

Whether you have a big bunion, a small bunion or no bunion at all, working on the muscles in your feet will help reduce or protect you from changes in the joint.

1.Rolling out your arches with a hard ball

Start in a seated position. Place a small firm ball (like a golf ball or a massage/trigger ball) underneath the arch of your foot. Apply moderate pressure onto the ball and roll the ball from the base of the heel to the base of the ball of your feet. Do not roll over the boney parts of your foot.

2. Arch lift

Sit up straight in a chair with your bare feet flat on the floor. Practice lifting up your arch while putting pressure through your big toe joint to keep it on the ground. Do not curl your toes.

3. Toe spreading

Sit up straight in a chair with your bare feet flat on the floor. Practicing spreading your toes out, particularly your big toe. Attempt to keep your toes straight and in contact with the floor as you do this.

4. Toe taps

Sit up straight in a chair with your bare feet flat on the floor. Practice lifting your big toe up while keeping the small toes planted on the ground. Tap your big toe up and down. Then repeat with the other toes by lifting the small toes up while keeping the big toe planted onto the ground.

 

Should I get surgery?

According to evidence-based practice, it is recommended that surgery is the final step, if all conservative treatments fail as there are higher risks involved.

It is important to talk to your local podiatrist about which treatment plan suits you best!

Call us on 4646 2016 to make an appointment.

The post What you can do for bunions right now! appeared first on Podiatry Point.

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