Bunion on big toe

Ouch my bunion! How to walk with bunions

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If you’re going to walk, you need your feet. But what do you do if you have painful bunions that stop you enjoying walking as much as you used to? Take up knitting? Become a sudoku master? Maybe, but you shouldn’t have to stop walking too. Here are some quick tips for improving your chances of having an enjoyable walk with bunions.

What are bunions? 

A bunion develops when the bones in the joint of the big or little toe become misaligned. The toe points in and the joint becomes swollen and painful. Walkers with flat feet, low arches, or arthritis may be more prone to bunions.

What to do about it:

First, you’ll need a wide fitting shoe to accommodate your bunion. Ask the assistant when you’re buying walking shoes which brands they recommend. If you already have shoes, and you don’t want new ones, a shoe repairer might be able to stretch your shoes for you.

When you’re walking, cushion the bunion and the area around it. One of our guests recently bought some HikersWool from us and was ecstatic at the relief it provided. You can buy Hikers Wool online from our friend Sandra here. As well as Hikers Wool there are many other products available for padding a bunion. Try a few and see what works for you.

When you get home from a long walk, while you’re sitting down having a cuppa, put your feet up and put an ice pack on the area around the bunion for 20 minutes. This will help reduce the pain and swelling in the joint.

Hopefully with these tips you can continue to enjoy walking with bunions and become sudoku master.

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