My bunion is starting to cause me pain! - SportsFit Physio & Health

03 Jun My bunion is starting to cause me pain!

Posted at 10:02h in Podiatry by SportsFit

Bunions have become a lot more common in our community. In our day to day lives, we would have seen a friend or a family member with a bunion. In recent studies, it has been estimated that around 5 million Australians will be affected by a bunion. Let’s take a closer at what a bunion is and how we can prevent and treat them.

What is a bunion?

Bunions (also known as hallux valgus deformity) are a. progressive condition of the big toe joint where a bony bump can develop on the inside of the big toe joint. With this, there is a change in alignment between the bones that create the big toe joint, causing the main metatarsal bone to come towards the centre of the body, and the smaller bones in the great toe themselves moving towards the second toe.

Bunions are generally more common in women due to wearing high heels, tight and ill- fitting footwear. However, in saying this, males can still have a bunion.

How a podiatrist can help?

Podiatrists can help you with your bunions with variety of conservative treatment options. Below are some ways podiatrists can assist:

Biomechanical Assessment: Podiatrists can provide you with an assessment of your lower limb and feet, to see how your lower limb mechanics are affecting the progressive development of your bunion.
Hands on treatment: Massage through the surrounding muscles of the big toe joint can help alleviate pressure, and therefore decrease pain levels.
Taping and padding: Podiatrists can provide you with varies taping and padding techniques to your feet and bunion to assist in pressure and your biomechanics
Toe separators: Toe separators can assist with alignment of all the toes in the feet, therefore a great option to treating bunions.
Orthotics: Custom made inserts for your footwear can be a great option in bunion prevention and facilitate pain and pressure re-distribution.

Footwear

Footwear plays a big part in treatment, management and prevention in a painful bunion. It is really important to ensure you footwear is wide and deep enough to avoid any friction or pressure on your bunion. Having a steady midsole in your shoes will provide you more support in your day-to-day life and allow you to walk around more pain free.