4 Ways to Ease Bunions or Hammertoes at Home

While we take care of most parts in our bodies, many of us neglect our feet. You need to mind the state of your feet because they need it!

There are a few do’s that you need to have on your list for exceptional feet. Things like keeping your nails short and manageable, giving your feet a brightening soak, applying feet cream, and using a foot file to get rid of dry skin and keep your feet smooth!

Even while doing all that we can to take care of our teeth, we also need to watch other feet conditions that have nothing to do with hygiene. One of the most common ones is bunions and hammertoes.

What Are Bunions and Hammertoes?
Bunions
A bunion is a small bony bump that forms on the base joint of your big toe. Bunionettes, which are smaller bunions can also develop on the small toe. Other symptoms of bunions are redness, soreness, or swelling around your big toe, inability to move your big toe much, inconsistent pain on the toes. When the situation is more serious, you will be dealing with lots of pain and shoes that do not fit.

You can get them from wearing tight or narrow shoes. Bunions can also form because of a medical condition such as arthritis, inherited shape of feet, birth defects, and feet injuries.

Hammertoes

Hammertoes are also known as crooked toes. It is caused by an imbalance of your toe joint muscles and ligaments. This makes your toe joint bend in the middle and it maintains that position. Hammertoes can also appear curled.

Mild hammertoes are flexible, which means you can move your toes at the joints. When the problem is more severe, the toes are rigid. In such cases, only surgery can help you get your feet to normal.

Prevention is always the best option when it comes to dealing with physical conditions.

Do You Need to See a Doctor?
Once these foot imperfections have formed, they will not disappear on their own. If the case is severe, for example, bunions and hammertoes that are painful or rigid, you need to seek treatment from a podiatrist.

A podiatrist is a doctor who specializes in treating conditions of the lower legs and feet. They can do a wide range of things including carrying out surgeries, ordering X-rays, and prescribing drugs. Qualified podiatric doctors in Gold Coastcan help to treat your condition.

How To Deal With Bunions and Hammertoes
Even though your bunions and hammertoes are not painful, they will still affect your daily life. For example, you may shy away from wearing open shoes. If you have these conditions, here is what you can do about it apart from seeing a doctor.

1.Avoid tight, high, and uncomfortable shoes
While wearing high heels can make you look like a boss lady, you better be careful not to wear them too much. Wearing very high heels and especially walking with them long distances strains your toes and can result in bunions or hammertoes.

You should also choose your shoes carefully. Avoid wearing shorter or narrower shoes especially those with a narrow toe box as they squeeze your feet.

You may also want to avoid shoes made of certain rigid materials such as steel toe boots as they increase the pain on your bunions. Flip flips are also any enemy of your feet as they put excess pressure on your toes because they offer no arch support.

You can go for flexible or stretchable shoes or learn how to stretch your shoes so that they can fit well. Shoes made of cotton will also be kind to your feet.

2.Maintain a healthy or normal weight
Did you know that 120% of your weight rests on your toes?

If you have excess weight, you could be making your bunions and hammertoes worse. Maintaining a healthy weight can also help ease the pressure on the bunions which causes pain. Excess weight on your feet can also worsen the case of bunions and hammertoes or cause new developments.

3.Relax your feet
Sometimes, all you need to do is relax your feet to ease the pain. That includes activities such as placing your feet in a higher position when you rest, soaking them in warm water mixed with Epsom salt to reduce inflammation, and icing and massaging your feet.

4.Other ways to reduce pressure on your moles
You can cushion your bunion with moleskin to help prevent pressure pain. Shoe inserts also make your toes more comfortable and prevent mole irritation. At night, you can wear toe spacers.

Final Words
Our feet serve one of the most important purposes in our body—they aid walking. You should get into a routine of taking good care of your feet as you do other parts of your body.

When you notice an issue with your feet, it is good to take some home measures but do not downplay the guidance of a qualified doctor in helping keep your feet in top condition.