Stop Letting Bunions Dictate Your Footwear: A Guide to Pain-Free Toes

When your big toes take an inward turn, you’re developing bunions, just like about one in three people in the United States. Bony growths that form for several reasons and can be painful, particularly as the amount of toe deformation increases. 

At Hudson Valley Foot Associates in Kingston, New Windsor, Wappingers Falls, Hudson, Red Hook, Margaretville, and West Coxsackie, New York, our podiatrists regularly treat bunions so you can live with pain-free toes. 

Without treatment or accommodations, bunions can cause constant or intermittent pain that triggers other foot problems. Don’t let a lack of symptoms give you a false sense of ease. The time to act is once toe joint deformation begins to show. 

Causes of bunions

The precise cause of bunions isn’t always clear. They can start as a birth defect or a genetic predisposition, or they may be the result of an injury to the foot, either trauma or ongoing stress. 

There’s no consensus on the role that footwear plays in the formation of bunions. Some experts feel that heels or narrow shoes can cause the problem, while others think that footwear can contribute to, but not cause, a bunion condition. 

Bunions are also linked with some forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and other forms that involve autoimmune disorders. 

Staying pain-free with bunions

Bunions can be serious enough to require surgery, but this isn’t your first treatment option. In some cases, bunions may not need treatment at all, but you should have any distortion of the big toe joint assessed by our podiatrists. 

Bunions don’t go away on their own, and conservative treatment won’t reverse the condition. You can, however, often manage your symptoms with a mix of over-the-counter, home, and medical remedies. 

Start with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen, available over the counter to relieve pain and reduce swelling. Cold therapy can also reduce inflammation, while hot compresses relax sore feet and improve blood flow. 

Just as footwear can contribute to bunions, other shoe styles can help you cope with them. Choose shoes with wide toe boxes to avoid compression of the big toe’s joint. We may also be able to help with custom orthotics to cushion and protect your toes. 

Bunion surgery

At Hudson Valley Foot Associates, we frequently turn to Lapiplasty®, a minimally invasive bunion correction procedure that corrects the deformity of the big toe in three dimensions, giving you the closest thing to a cure for your bunion problems. 

When you’ve fully recovered from your procedure, you’ll regain the ability — within reason — to choose footwear by style rather than comfort. Limiting your time in pointed shoes or high heels remains necessary to protect your surgical results. 

Contact Hudson Valley Foot Associates at any stage of your bunion progression if you’re experiencing symptoms or want to avoid future problems. Call or click to book your appointment today.