The 3 Best Treatments for Bunions

Bunions are one of the most common foot abnormalities, and because they develop very slowly, most people choose to ignore them and then later wonder why their big toe is severely bent and why it has a large, bony bump on top. Heredity is a major indicator of bunion susceptibility and wearing high-heeled shoes or other poorly fitting shoes is another major factor.

Some of the best treatments for bunions include these 4:

1)    Physical therapy exercises—Stretching and strengthening exercises can help to keep the big toe joint flexible and provide pain relief while also increasing strength. Towel scrunching exercises and picking up marbles with your toes are two great exercises.

2)    Properly fitted shoes—Avoid friction on your big toe from rubbing on your footwear by wearing the right shoes which will also prevent painful corns from forming. Choose shoes with a wide toe box to help prevent rubbing and provide room for braces and other inserts.

3)    Orthotic inserts and braces—Custom orthotic shoe inserts and braces used to spread the toes apart to prevent the toes from rubbing. They also force the big toe to remain in the correct position. These very effective braces worn at night can have a pronounced straightening effect over time.

If your bunions become more rigid and more painful, your foot doctor might need to perform treatment-involving surgery. At Fit Feet for Life, our team of board-certified podiatrists has access to advanced technologies and years of experience to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems, including heel pain, sports injuries, toe deformities, nail fungus, and plantar warts.  Bonnie Sanchez, DPM, Gregory Cook, DPM, and Huy L. Nguyen, DPM provide high-quality foot and ankle care to patients in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area at our five offices conveniently located in Sun City Center, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and our two Tampa locations. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.