How to Get Rid of Bunions
You will always feel that it is high time to know how to get rid of bunions jutting out at your toe when you go to holiday. That is even more annoying for anyone who has to wear tight shoes at work. Medically speaking, this abnormal bump is called hallux valgus, but most of people simply call it bunion. When the joint at the base of your big toe moves too far from its actual place, that is when the bunion is formed. Worse than that, it causes pain whenever you are walking since the joint at our toe is one of the bone that carries much of our weight. When it causes pain, then it will be an unpleasant experience for anyone to wear shoes or even sandal and that is a big problem for those who should work with any of that.
More often than not, bunion is perceived as genetically-inherited abnormality, but the way we walk and wear kind of shoes in daily activities can substantially influence the formation of bunion. As a matter of fact, since women used to wear high heels or tight shoes for many hours at work, no wonder that women experience bunion more often than men. The problem and the pain are getting more serious when people having bunion are getting older, primarily those who have stiff joint at their toe. It means that there is no space at their joint structure which will make them feel the pain earlier at the very early stage when the bunion is formed.
That is why everyone having bunion should at least know the treatment to get rid of it. Generally, there are two kinds of treatment which we can try when we develop bunion. The first treatment is by going through a surgery and the other way is non-surgery treatment. We will take a closer look at both treatment to know which one fits your condition the best.
Surgery Treatment
As the old saying goes, “You are the one who knows yourself the best”. Once you feel that your bunion is causing you more pain that it used to be, then it might the the high time to consider the surgery. Some podiatrists agree that even you feel much more pain in at least a year, then surgery might be the best answer to the question of how to get rid of bunions. It is very important that you should take a quick decision before your bunion is getting you other problem as you are getting older.
The surgery aims at moving the bones or the tendon at the back of your toe back into its correct place. Once the process is successful, the bunion will disappear. For some people, this treatment is the perfect treatment since it takes shorter time to deal with the bunion than the non-surgery one. Plus, it is safer as the process is handled by professional podiatrist. However, surgery is not the perfect way either. Once it has been successfully done, it may cause other foot problem, such as bursitis or pain in the balls of the feet.
Non-Surgery Treatment
Do not get the title wrong, bunions are permanent. However, the non-surgery treatment aims at reducing the pain the bunion is producing when you are walking and slowing down the progression of the bunion itself. The treatment can vary widely as it depends on the level of seriousness of your bunion. To some people, choosing the shoes that fit your foot the best is one simple treatment which can give a huge impact to reduce the pain. The best shoes for those having bunion should be the one with more space for the toes to move freely when you are walking. When you cannot find the right shoes for your foot, you should probably make one for yourself from a shoe maker. It cost you more money, but it will help you concentrate at work for sure.
Other treatment you can try at home is putting moleskin or gel-filled pad on your bunion, using shoe insert whenever possible, and wearing a splint during your sleep to help the toe straight for many hours. Afterall, one of the most fundamental thing you can do to erase the pain of the bunion you have is by keeping your weight normal. Since the joint where the bunion is formed carries much of our weight during the walk, so it is so important that we can keep our weight normal that the joint will not carry more that it should do. Moreover, a normal weight will give you many positive impacts for your health.
Some foot exercises can be another solution to reduce the pain caused by your bunion. There are several exercises you can do in your spare time, such as stretching your toes, flexing your toes, stretching your big toe, or even doing ball roll. When you stretch your toe, make sure that you repeat it ten times or more to make an effective impact. When you flex your toe, push your toe in the opposite direction for ten seconds for several minutes. For ball roll exercise, whenever you have time, you can put a golf ball under your foot and roll it around for several minutes. Other fun exercise which you can do during your holiday is walking on the beach sand without any footwear. This exercise will give a natural massage on your foot.
At the end of the day, your seriousness to stick to do the exercise is what matters the most. These exercises need to be done regularly and properly. That is why it is highly important that you spend some minutes daily to do these exercise and make them your habit. Make some notes to make your exercise perfect and proper to erase the pain of the bunion may be one of the best way to make it more effective. There is nothing impossible in this world and so does your effort to get rid of your bunion!