Bunions

Bunions

Shoes, especially tight shoes, use high-pressure tactics that can make life miserable for the area right next to your big toe. If there’s too little room and too much pressure in that area, chances are, you’ll form a bunion. And not just a dull, insensitive bump, either. A bunion that’s been nudged and budged all day is a real complainer. By day’s end, you’ll be only too glad to get your shoes off and give that howling mound of pain some much-needed relief.

What happens is this: When you wear shoes that are too tight, the constant pressure starts to push your big toe slam-bang against the neighboring toe. Eventually, the joint that holds your toe to your foot starts to accommodate this lateral action. It changes position until a bump starts to form and the big toe points to the small toe.

If it’s any consolation, about one out of every three people you pass in the street has bunions. So it definitely qualifies as shared misery.

You can’t banish bunions without surgery. But you can reduce the redness and swelling and keep them from getting worse. Here’s how.

Try This First

Take a painkiller. For immediate relief, try an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, which will reduce pain and swelling, says Mark Caselli, D.P.M., supervisor of podiatric services for the New York City Marathon and professor of orthopedic services at New York College of Podiatric Medicine in New York City. Follow the package directions. But make sure you don’t rely on the painkiller as your only fix, Dr. Caselli advises. Follow the rest of the tips in this chapter to prevent pain from popping up and stop the bunion from getting worse.

Other Wise Ways

Buy shoes that fit. If your foot hurts when you have shoes on, it’s a pretty good bet that your shoes don’t fit properly. So pitch out those ill-fitting pumps and get shoes that are just your size. This will keep your bunion from getting worse as well as prevent pain. When shopping, says Stephen F. Conti, M.D., associate professor of orthopedic surgery and chief of the division of foot and ankle surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, make sure to:

•.Shop in the afternoon or evening when your feet have swollen to their widest, and wear your thickest pair of socks.

•.Get your feet measured. Your feet get longer and wider with age. So your shoe size at age 60 should not be the same as it was at age 20.

•.Have someone measure the length and width of your feet while you’re standing up. And get them measured every single time you buy shoes.

•.Have a friend or the clerk check to make sure that you have at least a thumb’s width of space between your longest toe and the end of the toe box (the front of the shoe) when you are standing.

•.Get shoes that are wide enough to accommodate your feet. You need a shoe that fits narrow in the heel and wide in the forefoot. In shoe store lingo, this is called a combination last. Only a few companies make them. Easy Spirit is one example, says Dr. Conti. You’ll know the shoe is a combination last if the sizing information looks like a fraction such as D/B or C/A.

• When buying athletic shoes, ask for shoes that come in different widths. Not all brands do but Dr. Conti recommends New Balance and Saucony as good choices.

• If you’re a wide-footed woman, consider trying on men’s sneakers. Most men’s sneakers have a D width, making them wider than most women sneakers, which usually have a B width.

• Check to see if the widest part of your foot fits into the widest part of the shoe. This will ensure that the shoe will bend in the proper place when you walk.

• Keep the heel height 1½ inches or lower. Studies show that when your heel lifts off the ground more than 1½ inches, the force you put on the front of your foot goes up exponentially, says Dr. Conti. This is another way of saying that wearing heels higher than 1½ inches is really bad.

• Look for a rounded toe box.

• Look for shoes made from soft leather.

Fit the larger foot. If you have two different size feet, buy shoes that fit your larger foot and use padding and inserts to keep the smaller foot from sliding around, says Robert Schwartz, certified pedorthist (professional shoe fitter) and founder of Eneslow Pedorthic Institute in New York City.

Get an arch support. People who pronate (whose feet roll inward as they stand or walk) put pressure on their big toes and create bunions. An arch support bought over the counter will prevent this rolling in and alleviate the pain that accompanies walking, says Dr. Caselli.

Stretch your heel. If your foot rolls inward when you walk, you may have a tight Achilles tendon. That crucial tendon connects your heel to your calf muscle, and if it’s too tight, the tension can flatten your arch, leading to pressure on your toe during walking. To remedy this situation, stretch your Achilles tendon a few times a day, suggests Dr. Caselli. Place the balls of your feet flat on the floor and lean forward against a wall. Hold the stretch for 5 to 10 seconds. Perform this exercise 20 times on each side, alternating legs. Just be sure you don’t bounce and injure the tendons or leg muscles.

Pad the bump. Athletic-shoe stores and medical supply stores sell padding that you can put on the bump to cushion it from rubbing against the side of your shoe, says Schwartz. The padding will shield the bunion and keep the toe from sliding.