Bunions don’t always have to be painful. Find out how to best manage your symptoms.

Bunions are more common than you may think. Whether an injury to your foot or wearing high heels over the years has caused your bunion, our Stamford, CT podiatrist Dr. Peter Siroka, is here to provide you with the best options for managing your symptoms.

When it comes to treating your bunion, a lot will depend on the severity of your condition and the symptoms. Many minor to moderate issues can easily be addressed with simple and conservative at-home measures such as taking over-the-counter pain relievers. Those suffering from more severe pain may not be able to alleviate their pain through these commercial products in which case our Stamford foot care specialist can prescribe stronger pain medications.

Sometimes patients want to tackle their pain and swelling without medications. Many people experience more comfort and relief through a warm footbath or by applying a heating pad.

If you caught your bunion early enough that you aren’t experiencing consistent pain then often times changing out the type of shoes you wear may be all you need. You can apply a bunion pad over the bunion to provide additional protection so the skin doesn’t rub against your shoes and cause irritation. Of course, wearing shoes that are properly fitted and don’t scrunch up your feet will go a long way to making sure that your bunion doesn’t get worse.

When you come in for a consultation we can also determine whether you can benefit from orthotics, which are shoe inserts that can take pressure off certain joints in the foot, improve alignment and reduce pain.

If these interventions don’t work this is when we will sit down and discuss the next course of action. Sometimes corticosteroid injections can help alleviate severe and persistent pain and swelling. In rare cases, surgery may be necessary to correct the joint but only when all other treatment options have been exhausted without achieving the pain management you require.

Here at our Stamford, CT podiatry office we believe that people should lead a pain-free life. If moving around causes foot pain then we want to do something about it. Call us today if you are having trouble treating your bunion symptoms.