Foot pain is bothersome. With the average adult taking between 4,000-6,000 steps a day, any form of foot pain can become unbearable rather quickly. With 10% of all Americans suffering from Plantar Fasciitis, a decent portion of the population knows what having chronic foot pain is like. In comparison, one more common type of foot pain is that of bunions.

Bunions, the painful, inflammed, bony bump that forms on the inside joint of the big toe, affects nearly 25-33% of all American adults. Bunions normally begin to appear either due to people wearing their shoes too tightly (wherein the shoe’s toe-box is not wide enough) or due to abrasions caused by walking due to one leg being shorter than the other. For people dealing with bunion pain, it can seem unending and irremovable; however, it doesn’t need to be.

There are various types of treatment for bunions and bunion pain:

• Padding:Bunion pain can be reduced by wearing a cushioned pad over the inflamed, bony area of the bunion.
• Orthotics: Using an orthotic, a shoe-insert, can help to realign your feet while you walk, so that you do not have abrasions on the inside of your foot. Similarly, toe spacers can be used to ensure pressure is evenly distributed across your foot (thus to achieve the same results).
• Properly Fit Shoes: By wearing a shoe that is sufficiently wide enough you can drastically decrease the amount of abrasions your feet undergo. The easiest way to get fit is to visit a specialty shoe/running store, wherein an employee can check your shoes to ensure they fit as expected. Furthermore, if you can, look for shoes approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Medication:Anti-inflammatory medication can be used to reduce basic bunion pain too.

Now, what if all of these options do not seem to help with your bunion pain, or if your bunion happens to be at an advanced stage of irritation and deformation. In that case, you might require bunion surgery.

While it sounds drastic, it isn’t, as the procedures are rather simple. You might be wondering what the recovery time after bunion surgery is like; similarly, you might be asking, “Is bunion surgery painful?”

While most bunion surgeries are finished in one day, allowing for the patient to leave the same day as the operation, recovery time after bunion surgery can be lengthy. The common recovery time after bunion surgery can last up to several weeks. During this time, you will need to sure that your foot is properly dressed and redressed with clean, supportive bandages; you should refrain from weight bearing during the first few weeks and can begin some time later with the assistance of crutches or a knee walker; and you will have to undergo physical therapy and specific foot exercises to ensure mobility for the future. While the recovery time after bunion surgery might sound lengthy, it is simply to ensure that the there are no complications following surgery, and that the bunion does not return in the near future.

Regarding pain, you might have some pain, inflammation, and tenderness following the surgery, but you should be prescribed opioids (painkillers) following surgery. You can take these as pain persists, but you should stop once your foot pain seems to be getting better. Similarly, to reduce inflammation, refrain from weight bearing, elevate your foot, and ice the inflamed area when possible.

Through these methods, you can effectively treat your bunion pain, reducing it or fixing it entirely.