Bunion pain

Bunions can have a negative effect on your day to day life, making it hard to walk and wear shoes which are tight to your feet.

A bunion is a bony lump that forms on the inside of your foot at the big toe joint. This can affect your big toe by pushing it to point excessively towards your second toe.

Other symptoms include:

• Pain and soreness
• Numbness
• A burning sensation in the foot
• Swelling in the foot
• Hardened skin on the bottom of your foot
• Redness over the lump
• Restriction of the affected toe.

Not sure if it’s a bunion? Here is other foot related symptoms:

• Gout – redness, heat, swelling and pain that comes and goes
• Arthritis – aching, swollen and stiff; usually worse in the morning
• Broken toe – pain, bruising and swelling after hurting your toe.

Treating bunion pain:

Wear wide, flat shoes with a soft sole. Flat shoes help to take pressure away from your big toe and create more space to help relieve your bunion pain.

Bunion pads (soft pads that go over your bunion) or shoe insoles help to ease painful bunion pressure.

Apply an ice pack wrapped in a tea towel to the affected area when you can. This will help to ease the pain and help to reduce the swelling.

Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to help reduce the pain and the inflammation.

Try losing weight if you are overweight. Being overweight can put a lot of pressure on your feet, which can lead to creating bunions.

Wear a bunion splint at night to help gradually push the toe back into its normal alignment. This will not get rid of your bunion but rather help with the positioning of your toe.