5 Tips In Controlling Bunion Pain At Home
A bunion is a foot deformity that can cause severe crippling pain which can really affect a person’s quality of life. Bunions form due to weak structures in the foot causing the big toe to deviate inwards, while the joint between the big toe and first metatarsal bone bend outwards, causing the bunion’s characteristic bump.
Patients typically complain of pain and swelling around the bunion area due to constant irritation during walking. This repeated friction can cause the tissues around the joint to be inflamed. Also, the bunion can bump or rub against objects adding to the pain and irritation.
Fortunately, there are ways to alleviate foot pains caused by bunions. Below are 5 tips on how to control bunion pain at home.
1. Cold foot soaks.
A cold foot soak is the easiest and fastest way to ease foot pain caused
by bunions. You will need a clean basin containing ice cold water, high enough
to cover your foot. Once you dip your affected foot, you will immediately feel
relief.
2. Use comfortable shoes. One of the most common causes of bunions is using wrong footwear. Bunions are particularly common among women because of wearing high pointy high heels. To get the perfect fitting shoes, make sure you get half an inch between the end of your shoe and the tip of your big toe while standing.
3. Topical analgesics. There a lot of topical analgesic creams or gels available, most of which contain natural pain relievers like capsaicin and methanol. Methanol is extracted from mint plant and has a cooling effect that helps relieve pain. Capsaicin comes from chili peppers and provides a warm sensation when applied topically.
4. Massaging. If your bunion is irritated and swollen, gently massage the affected area. This will increase blood circulation to promote faster tissue healing and help take away excess fluid pooling on your foot.
5.
Try a bunion splint. A bunion splint is a device
that constantly pulls and realigns the big toe. Some splints contain a pad to
cover the affected joint to prevent bumps and irritation.
With the tips above you will surely control your bunion pain at home. But if your bunion is too large and causing constant unbearable pain, your best solution is surgery. A new surgical technique called minimally invasive bunion surgery or also called no scar bunion surgery is recommended. This surgical technique provides very minimal pain and swelling and very short recovery time. If you’re considering getting a bunionectomy, make sure to ask your podiatrist about this procedure.
for more information on no scar bunion surgery