Don’t let foot pain tell you how to live your life.
You want to go for a walk, but your bunion is telling you no. You need to run errands, but your bunion is already in pain. Dealing with bunion pain can be tough, but our Columbus, OH, podiatrists can work with you to find ways to help manage your pain and slow the progression of this common foot deformity.
Here are some simple solutions that you can apply to your daily routine to prevent bunion pain,
Wear the Right Shoes
Only wear shoes that fit your feet. This might sound obvious, but many people still wear shoes that are too old, worn, tight or poorly fitted to their feet. These shoes will only aggravate your bunion. Avoid high heels, pointed toes and any shoes that crunch up the toes. If you can’t wiggle your toes around in your shoes, then they are too tight.
Support Your Feet with Inserts
Consider getting prescription orthotics (custom shoe inserts) from our podiatrist here in Columbus, OH. Since bunions can throw off the biomechanics of the feet, orthotics can help to evenly redistribute the weight throughout the feet whenever you stand and walk. This simple podiatric device can take added pressure off the bunion and help make activities easier.
Consider Splinting
Talk with your podiatrist about whether you could benefit from a night splint. Your doctor will be able to show you how to correctly use this device, which can realign the deformed joint of the big toe to alleviate morning pain, stiffness and swelling. While the splint will not correct the deformity, it will help ease any pain you experience by temporarily realigning the joint while you sleep.
Strengthen Your Feet with Simple Exercises
There are a variety of foot exercises that you can perform throughout the day at your convenience. It’s particularly important to strengthen and retrain the muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissue in the body to help provide your feet with proper support. Here are some simple exercises you can do to improve foot mobility while reducing bunion pain.
With two offices in Columbus and one in Dublin, OH, the podiatrists at Clintonville Foot & Ankle Group make it easy for patients to get professional and attentive foot and ankle care when they need it.
Even during coronavirus, we may all be staying home but we still offer in-office and telehealth appointments to help our patients. To schedule an appointment or telemedicine visit call (614) 267-8387 for the Clintonville office; (614) 761-1466 for the Dublin location; and (614) 272-2313 for the Southwest Columbus location.