Don’t let bunion symptoms get the better of you. Find out what you can do to ease your pain.

If you have a bunion, you may be dealing with regular pain and swelling due to this common foot deformity. The only way to truly eliminate a bunion is through corrective surgery; however, our Naperville, IL, podiatrist Dr. Nancy Jagodzinski is here to tell you other ways that bunions can be managed without needing to undergo surgery. Here’s what you can do to ease pain and swelling:

Wear a bunion pad

You can easily find protective non-medicated padding at your local drugstore. By applying a lambskin or other kind of cloth pad over the bunion before putting your feet into shoes, you can prevent additional friction or pressure from causing sore feet.

Consider bracing/splinting

Talk to our Naperville, IL, foot doctor about how to properly splint or brace the foot into the proper alignment. Since a bunion can affect the structural alignment of the foot, it’s only natural that this will result in pain, swelling and other problems. By placing the foot back into the proper position you can take pressure off this area of the foot and prevent pain.

Custom shoe inserts

Even if you find proper footwear that offers an ideal fit you may still need a bit more support and stability to protect your foot from discomfort. Another way to provide the cushioning your susceptible feet need is by having us make customized shoe inserts, or orthotics. By placing these prescription orthotics into the shoes you can help redistribute the weight more evenly rather than putting too much pressure on certain joints of the foot.

If these conservative treatment options don't offer you relief from bunion pain, surgery may be needed to correct this condition. Do you have questions about how to manage your bunion symptoms? Are your symptoms affecting your quality of life? Then it’s time you called Ankle & Foot Center of Fox Valley in Naperville, IL.