Bunions are an enlargement of the great toe or hallux joint of the foot are usually associated with a deviation in the angle of the great toe or hallux. The only real way to get rid of bunions is with surgery, but there are many non-surgical alternatives that might be considered which can lead to some small improvement in the angle of the toe and help lessen any symptoms that the bunion might have. These are more prevalent in women and more frequent in those that wear improperly fitting shoes. There is also a inherited component to bunions as well, but that's not really well understood.
What can be done to stay away from surgery? Bunion correctors are splints that are usually used during the night and are designed to correct the position of the toe. They do usually aid at changing the angle of the toe a few degrees after a month or so. These types of bunion splints also assist in keeping the toes mobile and might help reduce some of the pain that you might get in the joint. Similarly, exercises to stretch and keep the big toe joint mobile is additionally likely to assist with the symptoms, but it will certainly not make the enlargement go away nor improve the angle of the great toe. Often padding may be used to get the pressure of the bunion from the shoe. They can be irritating to wear, but are very helpful in the event the shoe pressures on the bunion is part of the issue. One of the most crucial thing to do is to get the footwear fitted properly. The footwear play a major role in creating the bunion and also progressing it quicker if they don't fit appropriately. People that have bunions really do need to get out of the type of shoes that would have resulted in the bunion and get into footwear that do not put strain on the bunion.
