Hugh Brunke
A bunion is bump at the joint of the big toe that can cause mild to severe debilitating pain. Typically, bunions won’t cause any troubles unless the bump gets irritated when it rubs against your shoe or accidentally get hit. Fortunately, there are ways to protect the bunion to prevent its associated pain, and to correct or slow down its progression to minimize the size of the bunion. Below are some products that you can purchase over-the-counter and are relatively cheap.
These products are great in protecting the bunion from irritation and accidental bumps. These are soft, gel-filled rubber that is shaped to fit nicely above the bunion.
Bunion splint. The splint is a wearable product that is usually worn at night. The purpose of the splint is to pull the big toe to straighten the metatarsophalangeal joint, which is the joint between the big toe and first metatarsal bone.
More and more shoe companies are aware that tight-fitting shoes can eventually cause bunions, so they made these shoes. The toe box is the area in the shoe where the toes are. Regular shoes have narrow and pointed toe boxes which compress the toes and joints forming the bunion. Now, with wider toe box shoes, the toes are in their normal position and are not compressed; hence, preventing bunion progression and bunion pain.
A moleskin is a soft felt fabric with a spongy layer underneath and some adhesive. Just like the gel pad, the mole skin protects the bunion from bumps and irritations from rubbing against the shoe.
Custom orthotics are specially made inserts that are specifically measured to support the foot to prevent or slow down the progression of the bunion and also prevents irritation and bunion pain. These are made by your physician, making them expensive.
