Would you like to relieve your bunion pain? The podiatrists at Kentucky/Indiana Foot and Ankle Specialists in New Albany, IN, and Louisville, Elizabethtown, and Bowling Green, KY, know strategies and treatments that may be helpful if you have bunions.
Hitting the couch
Staying off your feet is the best way to avoid bunion pain; however, it's not a very practical option. Work, school, or family obligations may make it difficult to avoid walking, plus turning into a couch potato isn't good for your health. Although staying off your feet isn't a long-term pain relief option, limiting walking or standing can help decrease your pain until you make a trip to the foot doctor.
Cushions and pads
Adhesive cushions and pads, readily available at stores can reduce friction and pressure if you've developed corns or calluses on the bottom of your foot or the top of your second toe due to your bunion.
Options offered by your podiatrist
When rest and cushion and pads aren't effective in controlling your pain, we can offer several treatment options, including:
- Splinting and taping: We'll teach you how to tape or splint your foot. Taping and splinting during the night aligns your joint while you sleep and may slow the progression of your condition.
- Exercises: Toe exercises can relieve stiffness and make walking more comfortable.
- Cortisone Injections: When pain is severe or affects your ability to complete everyday tasks, a cortisone injection may help. The injections decrease both pain and inflammation.
- Orthotics: Sometimes improving your comfort is as simple as inserting a pair of orthotics in your shoes. Orthotics are designed for you in our office and hold your foot in the optimum position, reducing movement and pain.
- Surgery: Surgery is the only way to correct the deformity in your big toe joint and permanently relieve your pain.
Don't let bunion pain take over your life. Schedule an appointment with the podiatrists at Kentucky/Indiana Foot and Ankle Specialists by calling (502) 968-2233 for Outer Loop Louisville, KY, office; (502) 805-3338 for the Dixie Highway Louisville office; (270) 737-3338 for the Elizabethtown office; (270) 796-6160 for the Bowling Green office; or (812) 725-7542 for the Albany, IN, office.