How the hell to cope with bunions?!

[BunionGate]

Hey! Has anyone here ever had experience with bunion treatments?

basically I’ve had it since I was a child and it’s just been worsening (late 20s now). I went to the doctors, they initially said it was a bunion- then sent me for an x ray and then said it wasn’t actually a significant bunion and told me to live with it. I went to multiple podiatrists, tried insoles, splints, different shoes and nothing has helped. I went back to the GP and saw someone different and they said mine wasn’t that bad and I wouldn’t qualify for treatment on the NHS and sort of made me feel silly for even considering getting it corrected. Then they said the surgery was agony and made it seem really brutal and put me completely off it. They told me just to go back to podiatry, which I did, but they said we’ve exhausted all options and to go back to my gp🤷🏼‍♀️

basically I’m feeling a bit frustrated and fed up, but equally the surgery sounds awful from what the doctor said (and they also made it crystal clear I was being dramatic for even considering it and apparently I won’t get accepted on the nhs anyway)

but it’s getting worse and can be excruciating. I don’t care about how unsightly it looks but the pain is having such an impact on my life in terms of wearing shoes which cause discomfort and affecting playing sports etc.

has anyone had bunions and had anything that helped at all? I’ll add a pic below to show what it’s like in terms of severity

thanks 😬

Bunions run in my family - my big toes were 'hammered over' my 2nd and 3rd toes on both feet by my early teens, and very painful. As such, I was referred for surgery on the worst foot as soon as I turned 18 (they needed to wait until I'd stopped growing) at an orthopaedic hospital. The bunion was removed, but because I was still young they didn't pin the toe, and I can still bend them.

I won't lie - it was brutal waking up from the operation. The pain was so bad, my 18 year old brain thought they'd chopped my leg off. Only afterwards did the nursing staff tell me it's one of the most painful procedures you can have. I had the other one done when I was 20, but I was better preparedfor the pain that time. In both cases I was in hospital for 3 days, in plaster up to my knee for 6 weeks, and had to get use to slightly shorter big toes on both feet (can't balance on one foot at all!) and have never worn a heel higher than half an inch in my life becausemy feet can'tcope with them.

I was in hospital with women in their 40s and older, and they had their toes pinned. Not sure if techniques have moved on, but the older you are the more uncomfortable the op and recovery may be, depending on the technique they use to fix your bunion.

I would do it all again though - you have my sympathy because bunion pain is horrific. Do your research and look for a reputable orthopaedic surgeon. Good luck.

Not the nicest photo sorry but just to show severity etc

my other foot is pretty much the same as this too

I've had bunions on both feet done. I have medical insurance, I don't know if that makes a difference to the procedure used. It was an easy recovery, in bandages for 2 weeks. It wasn't painful, just discomfort. I went in to work a couple of times, walking with crutches. I had some physio covered too, which I think helped.

They've been completely trouble free since!

I had surgery on mine 13 years ago and don’t recall it being that painful. I didn’t have my toe pinned, and was in a special shoe for a few weeks and on crutches. Any pain from the surgery was worth no longer having the bunion pain
I have seen podiatrists since then for other foot issues and they are surprised I had it done and I have such good movement in my toe - apparently not always the case.

I know I know, I’ve missed the point of this thread, but why have you scribbled over your toes in an effort to disguise them ? Surely a foot pic won’t reveal your ID.

Because I have the worst ever looking chipped paint on my toe nails and I was embarrassed of it🤣🤣

Have you tried all of these? I noticed an early bunion a couple months ago, and am beginning to grow alarmed at how bad it can get.

I think ‘bunion’ is a terrible name for them. There’s something about that word that belittles the severity of how badly a dislocated toe joint can impact your mobility and quality of life.

Excuse the ugly foot! Mine is at a very early stage, I’m hoping I can still somehow stop it in its tracks.

Mine are worse than yours but they're not painful unless I wear narrow shoes. I always look for soft leather/suede shoes or wide fit shoes and that seems to prevent them from being painful.

Mine are far worse than yours too - and I don’t have pain …. It’s odd, I wonder what causes the pain if not the size ??

My podiatrist recommended Geox shoes. Or you could try wide fit as others have suggested. And no heels.

No idea 🤷🏼‍♀️ I don’t have a job where I’m on my feet all day, I literally sit at a desk. I’ve tried different sizes/styles/types of shoes, bunion correctors, literally everything and it’s always so so painful especially at night. I don’t have pain anywhere else just exactly where the bunions are

Oh bless you! I have bunions too so I empathise. For ages I’d get sharp or throbbing pains in my toe joints on just a short walk.

Pain is much less now that I don’t wear women’s shoes any more - I either wear stability running trainers, or hiking boots with insoles, often wide fit or men’s to give more room. No podiatry services in my area so no hope of an operation if they deteriorate as there’s no way to get a referral.

Ive found calf strengthening exercises have helped too, as I have bad over pronation also.

I hope you get some support soon OP.

Golly mine are worse than yours but don't cause pain. Maybe because I've switched to low heel and more square toed or rounded shoes/trainers - hate the look of mine. My sis trained her feet in her 20s by using those toe separators/bunion trainers you can buy and it seems to have done the trick and her feet are much nicer looking and no pain so far. Now in our 50s.

Mine are slightly worse than yours and not tooooo painful. I am also interested about getting the surgery

Look at ‘barefoot’ style shoes that don’t push the big toe towards the other toes- also toe spacers and foot strength exercises.

Tried all that over the years but not helped! Honestly starting to think I’m being a bit dramatic for finding mine so painful when so many people have worse ones and don’t find it painful 😬

Mine are worse too, do cause pain but I still don't qualify for the treatment. I don't know how bad they have to be, especially if causing pain.

I had bunions that were preventing me from enjoying walking and getting worse. It even hurt in bed against the mattress! Luckily I had health insurance through work and the worse side was covered but the other side (although painful) wasn't bad enough angle wise to justify operating.
The op was extremely painful for about 4 weeks and I wondered why on earth I'd done this to myself, however it was absolutely the best thing I've done. I am now walking 9 miles in a day with no pain at all and the other bunion no longer hurts. I think the way I was walking previously meant I was putting more weight on it.
So so glad I had it done.
Hope this helps you op

I don’t think the angle looks too bad, but it does look quite red and inflamed. Could it be something like bursitis or gout causing the pain?

I have every sympathy for you OP. It's bloody painful. Sometimes I felt one of my big toes had dislocated.

I had surgery on one foot and the pain, even in the first few days, wasn't as bad as the pain I'd regularly suffered just walking with my bunion. Interesting to read @DwayneDibleysTeeth 's post as the process has obviously changed hugely over the years. I had the operation with an epidural so was awake throughout, it was a day patient thing, home by teatime. I was in a boot for a month, no plaster.

I had planned to have surgery on my other foot (not so bad a bunion as the first) but thought I'd try a podiatrist first. She was brilliant. With exercises, a prosthetic and some tips I am pain free and didn't have the surgery.

My bunions (even the better of the two) are/were much worse looking (think three times as bad) than yours.

The key tip to avoid pain is to wear a wide shoe. A narrow toe box is your worst enemy. Josef Siebel shoes really work for me. Not the prettiest, but my God they are comfy.

Stretch your calves.

Stand on a step and let your heels drop down over the edge.
Stand on an slope, facing up hill so your toes are higher than your heels. Bend your knees and squat down. (This stretches the front of your ankle) Do both every day a dozen or so times. This will make a difference I promise.

You mention pain at night. Do you have heavy bedding or a duvet that overhangs the bed. Bedding that pulls your toes down towards or away from you will cause pain to bunioned feet. I can't stand it when on holiday the sheets are tucked in a the bottom - ohhh the pain.

@Free2roam That's really interesting what you say about the 2nd bunion being better when your gait changed. Perhaps that's what happened to me. I'm glad you're free from pain and enjoying your walking now.

I’ve just consulted Dr Google ! And apparently the bunions are not painful, it’s inflammation within the bunions that causes the pain !!

I have orthotic insoles which have made a huge difference to mine but having seen lots of different podiatrists I firmly believe that it’s as much an art as a science and a lot of them are really shit, I travel to see a good one every couple of years now and won’t see anyone else (his name is Rob Saunders, private but affordable practice about an hour north of London). you do have to wear the absolute most sensible footwear, keep feet strong and I would imagine not being overweight probably makes a big difference, and addressing any gait issues.

Have you tried ibuprofen gel?
I only wear wide fit flat shoes with cushioned insoles or wide fit trainers. And usually the pain is barely noticeable, but I saw the doc when I did have a lot of pain for a while and they said to use the gel and it helped so now use if I have a flare up of pain.