Two Choices when looking at best treatment for Bunions,
1/ SURGERY,
or
2/LEARNING TO COPE.
We will look in depth at learning how you can cope and what to do with Bunions, followed by a glimpse at surgery. The Latter can be extreme, it can also be painful, together with the down time it takes whilst you heal, this can be slow and may only offer a short term solution. I speak from experience as I had surgery on mine last year.
Disclaimer, some graphic images of post surgery are included in this post.
I am not a Doctor or medical practitioner, as such I am not qualified to give you medical advice and can only offer my own experience should you have concerns speak to your own specialist for continued advice.
What Can I do About My Bunions?
Depending on the severity of the bunions and how much pain you are in on a daily basis will be your guide. This might perhaps lead you down the surgery path. This type of surgery is not without risk and even though your orthopaedic surgeon may have performed this surgery many times it is still a painful and often carries a long recovery time.
“Bunion removal is a surgical procedure that corrects a deformed area of the foot near the big toe. Bunion removal is often referred to as hallux valgus correction. Hallux valgus is a Latin phrase that means “foot deformity.”
When I met the surgeon he said that although he could remove the Bunions he did not guarantee they would not come back at a later stage. I will show you before, after and Now pictures of my right foot you will see that the old Bunion is slowly returning
despite not wearing high heels, or tight-fitting shoes.
Attached is the NOW picture and you can see that the Bunion is returning
For the purpose of this post we are going to look at what you can do to avoid surgery and how to live with your deformed feet. Undergoing surgery will be for another discussion on another post.
First and the best is wear correct footwear.
- Wear a wide shoe with a low heel and soft sole
- If irritated and painful (especially at the end of a working day) place a frozen ice pack on the joints, or a packet of frozen peas. Place them in a Tea Towel and for no longer than five minutes at a time.
- Wear a Splint at night to hold the toe straight
- Wear Bunion corrector /gadget or Bunion corrector shoes.
- Off the shelf pharmacy Bunion Pads (soft gel like material to protect the toe joint against rubbing the shoe)
- Pharmacy medication like anti inflammatory type nonsterordal drugs. Aspirin or Ibuprofen
- Foot massage, foot whirlpool spa, may provide relief (doubtful it will improve the outcome) long term
There are many bunion corrector s on the market and with such a variety and wide choice you are forgiven for wondering which (if any ) is the right “Bunion Corrector” for you?
Do Bunion Corrector’s Work?
Yes and No. Mostly no the evidence would suggest that it is a forgone conclusion regarding Bunions and growth, whatever you do at this stage (that is the stage where you are either in pain or your foot is already deformed) is unlikely to make material difference to the way forward and will not redress the damage which has already occurred nor will it halt the progression of your deformed big toe getting worse or less painful.
Sometimes yes. If your big toe has not yet fully developed into the deformed shape, so often apparent with this condition, then now is the time to wear “Toe Corrector’s” There are some very smart sandals which double as Toe Corrector’s and no one even need know. Alternatively the splint worn on the toe at night or indeed when stationary is an excellent start.
Bunion Corrector’s would also work really well post surgery and will hopefully stop the toe maligning all over again.
Click on the link to take you to the most popular and easy wear “Bunion Corrector’s”
I have found Bunion Corrector shoes offered me a bit of relief, however these shoes are worn in the summer and not to be relied upon as a solution. Never the less they offer support and comfort and a very reasonable price. I have added an affiliate link to Amazon, please note if you click through and purchase Amazon will give me a small commission but not at a cost to you the buyer. >>Click Here for further information <<
Why Do I Have Bunions
In my case it was both hereditary and I was a Ballet Dancer, by hereditary I mean both my Grandmother and Mother suffered with bunions, my sisters however do not suffer with this affliction, so clearly this was not the whole answer. For all of my youth and as my feet were still growing I was a Ballet dancer, I would often have my feet strapped into tight-fitting pumps and from the age of thirteen I moved onto Block Ballet dancing so I was on my toes for extended periods which meant my toes were bent under my foot and carried my whole weight.
This is not a natural thing and obviously there is a price to pay. (Dancers have historically poor looking feet) But still this was not
the whole reason. So what else went wrong? As a teenager and in my 20s my feet were repeatedly squeezed into pointy toed and ill-fitting platform shoes that were often crippling and painful, this I ignored all in the name of fashion and vanity.
These and similar outcomes are likely to be the reason why I and possibly you now (in your later life) have Bunions.
What If I left Untreated
If left untreated Bunions can cause longer term issues, like Arthritis especially if the joint on the big toe has sustained continued and long term damage. A second complication and one I suffered with, is something called hooked or crossover toe. This is where the second toe is forced into an incorrect position over the big toe or (as in my case) the second toe was permanently curled under.
Trapped nerve can also be a feature of damaged and deformed big toe and can cause excruciating pain, a bit like pins and needles, this will often be more apparent when you wear flat and closed in shoes.
Inflammation from the Bunion site puts you at risk of developing the above symptoms so try where possible to ensure you don’t aggravate the Bunion, you may never again wear high healed shoes but it was probably wearing these very shoes that helped cause the situation in the first place, so try to find shoes that are both elegant and comfortable.
My Bunions
I suffered deformed big toe, hooked second toe and the big toe pushing all the other toes over in the opposite direction. In addition to this I also suffered a trapped nerve in my right foot which meant once I had placed my feet in my outdoor shoes I was often unable to walk without limping. For some odd reason I found driving would cause a dreadful nagging pain and would often have to stop the car to stretch my feet. My right foot was considerably worse than the left and the surgeon performed (what he called) industrial strength surgery.
The healing took a long time and was so horribly painful that I have elected to leave the left foot to its own devices. Eighteen months on and the right toe will often throb, and I have noticed the bunion coming back. This, I was told, does happen and surgery is not necessarily going to give you your feet back the way they were when you were 16.
I will post a whole article on the Surgery of my foot (at a later date) and what it entailed, together with the many tips about how to cope after surgery and being immobile and in pain.
Conclusion
Its never to early or too late to wear the correct fitting shoes. I would advise spend as much as you can afford and do not allow your feet to become painful without taking preventative action.
If your feet or foot has become unbearably painful no matter what you do and you now find that the pain is sometimes debilitating then it is time to seek advice from a specialist for advice and further action.
In the UK your consultant may suggest several alternatives before he suggests surgery, this is not routinely given unless it is causing profound pain and making walking difficult. If you are in pain but not
debilitating and would like to consider surgery then it may be undertaken privately. Your consultant is likely to work for both the NHS and work privately. He will advise that it is not a quick fix nor is it without pain so its worth trying the comfortable shoe option first.
Thank you for reading thus far,
I would love to hear your comments and other readers might get something from your contribution, please let us know how you have coped (or not) with suffering with Bunions
The picture here on the right is when I am 10 weeks post surgery, it was still horribly sore and itchy and not able to return to work for a further 6 weeks.
Hopefully this post has been of some use to you and may give you the motivation to wear good fitting shoes.
Look forward to hearing from you
Cordelia Nixon
Hey Spring Chicken
Shout out to photographers
Nihal Demirci for the Ballet Feet Feature Image,
Kris Atomic – Pointy Shoes
Reference websites used
I have an article which helps with Back Pain, whilst this is not the same as foot pain there is never the less useful information surrounding “coping with pain” which you may find useful
