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Treatment of Bunions
How is a bunion treated?
Bunions are treated to ease pain and help with walking and other daily activities. If you have a bunion but don't have pain or discomfort, treatment may not be needed. Another goal of treatment is to prevent the bunion from getting worse.
Most bunions can be treated at home. Surgery is an option only if other treatments don't help.
Nonsurgical treatment
Nonsurgical treatment usually is used to decrease pressure on the big toe and relieve pain. Treatment includes:
- Wearing roomy shoes that have wide and deep toe boxes (the area that surrounds the toes). The shoes should have low or flat heels and good arch supports. Avoid tight, narrow, or high-heeled shoes that put pressure on the big toe joint.
- Using bunion pads, arch supports, or custom-made supports (orthotics). They can help redistribute your weight while you are walking and take pressure off your big toe. Ask your doctor to help you choose the right kind of pads.
- Taking nonprescription medicine to relieve pain and reduce swelling. Examples include acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or aspirin. Talk to your doctor about which pain reliever is best for you.
- Using ice to relieve pain and reduce swelling. Apply ice to the joint for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. Prop up your foot so that your toe is higher than your heart.
Surgical treatment
If nonsurgical treatment hasn't relieved toe pain and you aren't able to do normal daily activities, or if you have a severe bunion, you may want to think about surgery. Bunion surgery is done to help restore normal alignment to the toe joint and relieve pain.
There are different types of bunion surgery. The best type of surgery for you depends on how severe your bunion is and how experienced your surgeon is. Look for a surgeon who does many different types of bunion surgery on a regular basis. Each bunion is different, and surgery needs to be tailored to each case.