How to Stop Bunion Burning Pain
If you wear high heels, tight fitting shoes or shoes with pointed toes, you may develop bunions. Medline Plus reports that if you are born with abnormal bones in your feet you may also be susceptible to bunions 1. A bunion forms as a bony bump located at the portion of your foot where it meets your big toe. Red, callused skin may also cover the bunion, but the most noticeable feature of a bunion is the burning pain, which intensifies with pressure. Relieving the pressure often stops the burning pain.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Relieve bunion pain by wearing wide, comfortable shoes. A wide-toe shoe instead of a narrow style will relieve the pressure on your bunion and give your toes some wiggle room.
The Best Shoes for Obese People
Learn More
Slip a protective pad in between the fabric of the shoe and your bunion. Bunion shields have a foam or gel insert that slips over your big toe, cupping the bunion. Bunion shields are available in the pharmaceutical aisle of your grocery store, drugstores and online sources.
Cool the burning sensation with an ice pack. Wrap the ice pack in a towel and lay the wrapped ice pack against your bunion. Leave the ice pack on your bunion for 15 minutes. Remove the ice pack for five minutes. Repeat the process until you feel relief.
My Foot Falls Asleep During Exercise
Learn More
Try easing your burning bunion pain with an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen. An adult dose, ages 12 and up, of ibuprofen, according to Drugs.com, is 200 to 400 mg taken every four to six hours as needed 2. Daily doses of ibuprofen should not exceed 3,200 mg per day.
Tips
See a podiatrist if the burning pain associated with your bunion does not improve or becomes intolerable. Sometimes surgery, bunionectomy, is required to realign the bones of your foot and remove the bony bump.
Warnings
If you do not have an ice pack, fill a sealable plastic baggie with ice and wrap it in a towel.
Do not apply the ice pack directly to the bunion without a towel in between. The cold from the ice can harm your skin without a layer of protection.
Related Articles
References
- Medline Plus: Bunions
- Drugs.com: Ibuprofen Dosage
- InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Bunions: Overview. 2018 Jun 28. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513134/
- Al Aboud AM, Badri T. Corns. [Updated 2019 Oct 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470374/
- American Podiatric Medical Association. (2019). Bunions. https://www.apma.org/Patients/FootHealth.cfm?ItemNumber=979
- Dini M. Podiatric Disorders. In: Papadakis MA, McPhee SJ, Rabow MW. eds. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2019 New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=2449§ionid=194443900.
- Shi GG, Humayun A, Whalen JL, Kitaoka HB. Management of Bunionette Deformity. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2018;26(19):e396-e404.
- InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Bunions: Overview. 2018 Jun 28.
- Ferrari J. Bunions. BMJ Clin Evid. 2009;2009:1112. Published 2009 Mar 11.
- Ellington JK. Hammertoes and clawtoes: proximal interphalangeal joint correction. Foot Ankle Clin. 2011;16(4):547-58.
- Al Aboud AM, Badri T. Corns. [Updated 2019 Oct 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-.
- Tamer P, Simpson S. Evolutionarily medicine Why do humans get bunions? [published correction appears in Evol Med Public Health. 2017 May 09;2017(1):81]. Evol Med Public Health. 2017;2017(1):48–49. Published 2017 Feb 11. doi:10.1093/emph/eox001
- Chou LB. Disorders of the first metatarsophalangeal joint: diagnosis of great-toe pain. Phys Sportsmed. 2000;28(7):32-45.
- Kitson K. Bunions: their origin and treatment. J Perioper Pract. 2007;17(7):308-10, 315-6.
- Kalen V, Brecher A. Relationship between adolescent bunions and flatfeet. Foot Ankle. 1988;8(6):331-6.
- Shirley ED, Demaio M, Bodurtha J. Ehlers-danlos syndrome in orthopaedics: etiology, diagnosis, and treatment implications. Sports Health. 2012;4(5):394–403. doi:10.1177/1941738112452385
- Nork SE, Coughlin RR. How to examine a foot and what to do with a bunion. Prim Care. 1996;23(2):281-97.
- Ferrari J, Higgins JP, Prior TD. Interventions for treating hallux valgus (abductovalgus) and bunions. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(1):CD000964.
- Hurn SE, Vicenzino BT, Smith MD. Non-surgical treatment of hallux valgus: a current practice survey of Australian podiatrists. J Foot Ankle Res. 2016;9:16. Published 2016 May 4. doi:10.1186/s13047-016-0146-5
- Grice J, Marsland D, Smith G, Calder J. Efficacy of Foot and Ankle Corticosteroid Injections. Foot Ankle Int. 2017;38(1):8-13.
- Tehraninasr A, Saeedi H, Forogh B, Bahramizadeh M, Keyhani MR. Effects of insole with toe-separator and night splint on patients with painful hallux valgus: a comparative study. Prosthet Orthot Int. 2008;32(1):79-83.
- Branthwaite H, Chockalingam N, Greenhalgh A. The effect of shoe toe box shape and volume on forefoot interdigital and plantar pressures in healthy females. J Foot Ankle Res. 2013;6:28. Published 2013 Jul 25. doi:10.1186/1757-1146-6-28
- Boulton AJ, Armstrong DG, Albert SF, et al. Comprehensive foot examination and risk assessment: a report of the task force of the foot care interest group of the American Diabetes Association, with endorsement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(8):1679–1685. doi:10.2337/dc08-9021
- Menz HB. Foot orthoses: how much customisation is necessary?. J Foot Ankle Res. 2009;2:23. Published 2009 Jul 9. doi:10.1186/1757-1146-2-23
- Mortka K, Lisiński P. Hallux valgus-a case for a physiotherapist or only for a surgeon? Literature review. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(10):3303–3307. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.3303
- Meyr AJ, Singh S, Chen O, Ali S. A pictorial review of reconstructive foot and ankle surgery: hallux abductovalgus. J Radiol Case Rep. 2015;9(6):29–43. Published 2015 Jun 30. doi:10.3941/jrcr.v9i6.2142
- American Podiatric Medical Association. (2019). Bunions.
- Dini M. Podiatric Disorders. In: Papadakis MA, McPhee SJ, Rabow MW. eds. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2019 New York, NY: McGraw-Hill;
- Ferrari J (2017). Hallux valgus deformity (bunion). Eiff P, Asplund CA, eds. UpToDate. Waltham, MA: UpToDate Inc.
- Hern, S.; Vicenzino, B.; and Smith, M. Non-surgical treatment of hallux valgus: a current practice survey of Australian podiatrists. J Foot Ankle Res. 2016;9:16. DOI: 10.1186/s13047-016-0146-5.
- MacDonald, A.; Houck, J.; and Baumhauer, J. The Road to Recovery for Bunion Surgery. Foot Ankle Orthoped. 2017. DOI: 10.1177/2473011417S000275.
Writer Bio
Jonae Fredericks started writing in 2007. She also has a background as a licensed cosmetologist and certified skin-care specialist. Jonae Fredericks is a certified paraeducator, presently working in the public education system.