MD Podiatrist Discusses Ways to Limit Bunion Progression

 
About 23 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 65 have bunions. Over time, the intrinsic foot muscles, specifically the big toe, weaken and get difficult to spread. Though not always debilitating, “bunions are a progressive condition in which there is a bony prominence that protrudes near the big toe joint,” says Daniel Michaels, DPM. They can be majorly frustrating when it comes to wearing certain types of shoes or during long periods of walking and movement.
 
While you cannot entirely prevent bunions, you can limit their progression or decrease the pain by strengthening your toes with targeted exercises, properly fitted shoes (especially those with a wide toe box), and limited additional pressure to a low-grade bunion by wearing orthotics in your shoes.