How To Treat Bunions

Figuring out how to treat bunions really depends on one thing: it's severity. A bunion is a bony protrusion that forms at the base of your biggest toe. It's caused by the toe somehow being dislodged and moved towards the other toes. Treating a particular bunion depends on the severity of the bunion. The severity of the bunion is measured by how much pain it causes, and how much interference it causes in how you walk. Bunion treatments can vary from something as easy as altering your shoes slightly, to something more invasive such as a bunionectomy. Yes, a bunionectomy is a real procedure created to surgically correct any issues the bunion may be causing. Hopefully you won't have to resort to anything as invasive as a surgery. But, here are the ways in which to treat your bunion issues.

1. A shoe update. If your bunion issues aren't so serious, you need to try this. Just buy bigger shoes. They'll give your feet more space and won't irritate that sensitive area near the base of your big toe. Padding your bunion with some sort of cushioning can help as well. It'll keep the bunion from rubbing against the inner wall of the shoe, which can be extremely painful. Also, shoe inserts can help cushion the bunion.
2. Drugs. You can load up on painkillers if your bunion isn't that serious. Some bunions actually have inflamed tissue near the bone separation. Anti inflammatory drugs can help to dull the pain and keep the swelling down. Again, this is just for minor bunion issues. Once the severity of the bunion increases, so do your actions to combat the bunion.
3. Surgery. If the pain of the bunion is just too great to bare, surgery may be the best option. Doctors may go in and pull out the swollen tissue. Another option is to actually go in and remove parts of the bone in order to straighten your big toe out. Yet another option is to realign the toe. The most severe surgical option is to actually fuse the toe bone to the foot. Again, if the bunion isn't giving you too much trouble, stay away from the invasive procedures.