What You Need to Know About Home Remedies for Bunions

by | Jun 28, 2018

What is a Bunion?

Are you looking for home remedies to decrease bunion pain? Let’s get down to business and first learn what a bunion is! A bunion is a foot deformity that occurs as a bump on the joint where your big toe meets your foot (also called as MTP joint). For medical people out there – bunions are medically known as hallux abductor valgus.

It moves your big toe in, sometimes to the point that it moves on top of the adjacent toe! Like a turnip – they become red and swollen. Bunions can hurt and make it hard to move your big toe. Not all bunions require surgery as there can be a few home remedies you can use to decrease some pain caused by your bunions.

home remedies for bunions

What Causes Bunions?

In the U.S., people start to notice bunions between the ages of 20 and 30. Of course, they can occur later or before that too.

Bunions are a result of the MTP joint on your foot being subjected to undue pressure over time. Eventually, the MTP joint gets misaligned, forming a bony bump.

The underlying issues behind Bunions are:

  • Genetic issues like the shape of your foot.
  • Ill-fitting shoes – particularly the ones cramping your toes.
  • Inflammatory diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis.

Do Bunions just… go away?

Sorry to break the bubble, but bunions are what we call progressive deformities. And… what does that mean?

It means not only do they don’t go away naturally – if you let them by themselves, they can get worse! If the MTP joint has sustained long-term damage, bunions can cause arthritis too. There are a few home remedies that you can use to manage bunion pain.

home remedies for bunions

Can Bunions be treated?

Now, enough with the bad news. We won’t keep this a secret – yes, bunions can be treated!

You can shrink your bunions by using some of these home remedies:

Changing your footwear:

The logic behind changing your footwear is taking the pressure off your toes. We will suggest shoes that have wide-toe boxes that leave lots of room for your toes.

Plus, they would advise wearing shoes with heels not higher than 2 inches, which brings us to high heels. Avoid high heels! They put pressure on the front of your foot, making worsening the Bunions.

Padding:

We can use Bunion Pads to make a cushion between the bunion and a shoe.

Thanks to the cushion between the bunion and the shoe, the bunion doesn’t directly hit the shoe and the friction is reduced near the hurting bunion.

Test the pad for a while if you wish – a wrong size only causes more problems due to extra pressure on the joint.

Custom Orthotics:

Custom orthotics– as the name suggests – are custom shoe inserts that evenly disperse pressure on the foot, thereby reducing pain and improving foot function.

What makes custom orthotics special is that they solve the root cause of bunion formation; that being of course – alignment issues.

Medication:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Ibuprofen, Naproxen – consumed both orally and topically; along with ice packs, can help a lot with swelling and pain.

Exercises and Stretches:

Not only do the below exercises treat the symptoms of existing bunions, but they also prevent them:

  • Ball roll
  • Toe points and curls
  • Toe circles
  • Toe spread outs
  • Figure-eight rotation

Can I talk to an expert?

While you learned about bunions, their causes, and treatments in this article – it’s always better to consult our team of experts to get personalized solutions to your bunion pain. If home remedies are not doing the trick for your bunion pain, call us right away to get a customized treatment plan.

If you are based in Johnstown, PA, or Ebensburg, PA – we at Premium Podiatry Group can help. Book an appointment to get your bunion pain treated for good!