Thread: Bunions?

I never really knew what a bunion was until my sister told me I had them.

I never noticed because I rarely look at the outer edge of my feet and when I do the angle is different.

But apparently, I have them. They don't hurt at all.


Can they be removed without surgery? Should I even worry about it if there's no pain?

There used to be devices--perhaps still are--that would gently correct the bunion. Google "bunion correction" or some such to see if they still exist. Whether they work or not, I can't say, but I looked into it myself several years ago. My bunion was just too big for anything but surgery to correct it.

If you can, you might want to consult with one or more podiatrists and get their take on what, if anything, should be done about it. I left mine alone until I was in my mid-forties, but then I started dancing and it suddenly grew! and got painful.

I have one on my left leg. It is hereditary and gets panful if I wear high heels for too long.

Originally Posted by angelina

I have one on my left leg. It is hereditary and gets panful if I wear high heels for too long.

Same here! I have seen two different podiatrists in the past. One told me that he doesn't believe in having surgery for it and to leave it be. The second one told me that I should have it. Well, to this day and time, I haven't had the surgery. It does bother me on occasion if I wear too tight of shoes or too high of shoes, then it does get painful. I will probably let it go for a little while longer.

BTW...the doc who doesn't recommend having surgery has a little office, while the "have surgery" doc has a HUGE office complete with several associates, plasma TV's and a surgical area.

I have a small one on my left foot, too. I noticed it one day while teaching yoga, did a forward bend and WHOOMP there it is! a bunion.

My big toe still seems straight, and I don't have any pain, so I'm not going to interfere. There are toe-spreading stretchers at drugstores these days that might help, I'll go that route if I have any discomfort or see misalgnment in my toes, but I can't vouch for effectiveness.

So far it just looks like a big bump. I'm considering getting a tattoo of a giant really full-bellied mosquito flying away from it. ..l;,

They're hereditary in my family, too, my mom's feet are a twisted up mess. I'm a little scared.

Please please pretty please read "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue.

I occasionally have bunion pain. When I do, I follow the extremely easy exercises in the book for bunions and the pain goes away. Surprisingly, bunions can be caused by a misalignment in somewhere as remote as your hip or knee, or your posture. So even if you do not experience pain, they are caused by a musculo-skeletal dysfunction that can turn into something pain-causing.

I LOVE this book.

For some toe-spreading action to counteract toe-squishing shoes, I really like my yoga sandals!

Originally Posted by Azhia

Please please pretty please read "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue.

I occasionally have bunion pain. When I do, I follow the extremely easy exercises in the book for bunions and the pain goes away. Surprisingly, bunions can be caused by a misalignment in somewhere as remote as your hip or knee, or your posture. So even if you do not experience pain, they are caused by a musculo-skeletal dysfunction that can turn into something pain-causing.

Originally Posted by kiyaana

I LOVE this book.

For some toe-spreading action to counteract toe-squishing shoes, I really like my yoga sandals!

I have the yoga toes. Similar concept. I even use them while I'm doing my nails! ..l;,

Originally Posted by Azhia

I have the yoga toes. Similar concept. I even use them while I'm doing my nails! ..l;,

Yes -- me, too! I've been using them every night for a couple of months, and I am seeing a bit of improvement in the alignment of my big toes.

Yeah, they market the yoga sandals as pedicure sandals, too. I love wearing them before gigs while getting ready for toe-painting purposes and after gigs for stretching. They're great after a long workshop day.

Originally Posted by Azhia

I have the yoga toes. Similar concept. I even use them while I'm doing my nails! ..l;,

I have them. My mom has them really bad. I've been using yoga toes and doing some toe stretches and they have improved a bit.

Ankle rotations (flex, point, clockwise, counterclockwise), calf stretches with a towel or belt, and wall squats.

hmmmm....what do you mean by bunion pain? Sometimes I have pain in my big toes that seems to radiate down vertically. I don't wear a lot of heels and such, but I do get achy feet. I'm now suspiciously looking at my feet.

Yoga sandles...will have to check that out...

Im a podiatry student and bunions are called "HAV" Hallux Abductor Valgus, they can be treated if you visit a podiatrist sooner. they will advice after looking at you on what next step and what orthoses to manufacture for you...the main things to remember shoes which are too tight, too pointy and toe box are the once encourage the HAV.

HAV is often over growth of metatarsal bone, and some do turn become bursitis, which are sac filled with fluid to provide protection when you medial side of the toe, where the bunions normally like to form rubs against the shoe.

Hope you go visit podiatry clinic if you just noticed it then its maybe a chance to have it dealt with.

I have bunions - the common thing is to be told it is from too tight shoes and heelsbut I always wear flats even laceups.
For the recod my grandFATHER WORE ARMY BOOTS AND HAD THEM. If they bother me I gently pull my big toe away fromthe others and sit like that for a while

I bought some Pampered Toes at CVS. They're a YogaToe knockoff, same concept.

Will try toe exercises as well, since Shira's Tribe post seemed to indicate there can be control over bunions.

Maybe I can wear 'em down :-)

I have bunions, I did stretches, exercises, didnt often wear heels. I lived with them for many many years. And then the one on my right foot started hurting, bad. It would hurt even when I was barefoot and sitting! At that point, my doc recommended surgery. I went through with it and am SO glad I did! I have lost a small amount of range of motion in that joint, but I have zero pain now and life goes on.

Its been almost 5 years since that surgery and I am starting to have twinges of pain in the other foot. If it gets bad, I wont hesitate to have surgery on that one.

i did ballet and pointe for so many years that i got bunions on both feet at the age of eighteen. as a poor starving ballerina, the cheapest option for me was to get some of those triangular sponges you can get at the drugstore for putting on foundation make-up and stick it in between the big toe and the second toe. this helped a lot. i would even use these sponges when i wore regular shoes and pointe shoes. they helped realign the toes a little better.

plus another reason why my bunions were so severe (besides the excruciating pain of standing on your toes for four hours a day) was that i was flat footed, thereby producing more stress on that bone and muscle than most other people.

unless the bunions make it ridiculously painful for you to walk, i would advise against surgery because any unnecessary intrusion into a network so intricate is dangerous, no matter how skilled your surgeon is. many dancers who have had some kind of surgery on their feet complain about losing a certain range of motion.

warm foot baths also always help and stay away from shoes that cause you to be achy. (but that's pretty standard advice)