Bye Bye Bunions!| Products that Prevent & Manage Bunions

One of the most common foot deformities, bunions can cause a lot of pain and affect your lifestyle. Bunions can limit your ability to wear certain shoes, cause pain when walking and prevent you from doing certain activities or exercises.

Often blamed on genetics or footwear, it is actually our foot type that is one of the greatest contributors to bunion formation. Understanding your foot type and knowing how to prevent bunions can help you avoid a future of foot pain and potential foot surgery.

This guide walks you through a range of products that help prevent bunion progression or ease their symptoms.

What are Bunions?

Bunions are deformities of the big toe joint that develop slowly, in time. A bunion looks like a hard lump on the side of the foot. But that lump is not a type of growth within the foot, like many people believe. It's actually the shifting of the fist metatarsal (long bone) in the foot that creates the bump.

Although there is no consensus on what causes bunions. One culprit may be the tapering toe-boxes on most conventional shoes. Or, there may be other causes. These include structural defects, medical conditions like flatfoot and gout, and overpronation.

Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of bunions is surgery which means that prevention is the recommended approach to a future of foot problems.

How to Prevent Bunions without Surgery

Luckily, there are less invasive treatments than surgery to reduce the pain that bunions cause. Here are some of the things you can do to decrease the symptoms and stop bunion progression:

•         Wear shoes with a wide toe-box

•         Choose low-heeled shoes and avoid prolonged high heel wear

•         Do foot strengthening exercises like short foot

•         Work out your core glutes to keep feet strong and aligned

Our Favorite Bunion Recovery Products

Today there are many corrective devices that claim to reverse bunions and prevent foot pain. It can be overwhelming to the consumer. To help you determine which products actually hold some weight, we’ve featured six of the best products for bunion prevention or for pausing the progression of bunions:

Bunion Bootie is a flexible bunion splint that eases the pain that a bunion causes. It does this by stretching the foot muscles and better realigning the big toe.

When you slide the Bunion Bootie over your foot, you can see how the big toe realigns temporarily. This gently stretches the small muscles of the foot and pulls the great toe into its proper position. As a result, the joint sits in a better aligned position and allows more optimal foot mechanics.

The fabric of Bunion Bootie is strong, flexible, and breathable. As it's ultra-thin, it prevents chafing from shoes, which can cause blisters and corns. You can wear the Bootie when you walk, workout or train barefoot

Priced at $33.95 the Bunion Bootie is one of our favorite products for mild to moderate bunions.

Designed by sports podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan, Correct Toes is a toe spacer. This corrective device is made of soft and flexible silicone. It works best in completely flat shoes with flexible soles and a wide toe-box. But you can also use it barefoot.

If you find yourself needing to wear narrow toed shoes, sliding on Correct Toes at the end of the day helps the toes go back to their natural alignment. The manufacturer says that after wearing Correct Toes regularly for a few months, you should see some realignment of the big toe.

An added bonus is that using Correct Toes will also strengthen the foot muscles. This means that Correct Toes can also help restore foot balance and improve gait, posture, and proprioception.

Priced at $65 Correct Toes is recommended for mild to moderate bunions.

Rescue LOOP is the brainchild of fitness pro Ilaria Cavagna, creator of the Feet-Ness workout. It's an exercise tool that has two double leather loops connected by a spring.

The small loops go around the big toes when you strengthen the small muscles of the foot. And the big loops go around the feet, to strengthen the bigger muscles that connect the foot with the leg.

Used in the Feet-Ness workout, Rescue LOOP strengthens your feet. and creates balance in and around the big toe. Exercising 10 minutes twice a week using Rescue LOOP is enough to work out the foot and ankle, according to Feet-Ness.

Priced at $69 the Rescue Loop is best for mild to moderate bunions

These textured insoles are a high-quality product that Dr. Emily Splichal developed based on barefoot science.

The proprioceptive insoles stimulate the small foot nerves to keep your feet strong. The bottom of the foot has nerves that sense texture, pressure, touch, and vibration. Each small foot nerve sends this information to the brain and spine so they can control movement and balance. These nerves need stimulation to function well, and to transmit the right kind of information to the brain.

Stimulating the nerves in the feet has a foot strengthening benefit which can prevent the progression of bunions.. Having healthy foot function contributes to keeping your feet and body in alignment and can prevent overpronation, one of the possible causes of bunions.

Priced at $50 Naboso Insoles can prevent foot pain associated with mild to moderate bunions.

RAD Rounds from RAD Roller is a device specifically designed for tension-releasing therapy of the feet and lower leg. A RAD Rounds pack comprises three balls with different sizes and densities.

Use the Rounds to apply compression to the bottom of the foot. This will stimulate the small receptors that help the foot muscles and tissues relax. Less tension means less compression of the joints and improved mobility.

Doing foot release every day can help you prevent bunions. Dr. Emily Splichal explains in this YouTube video how to use RAD Rounds to do foot release. Aim to do this exercise twice a day, for 6 minutes, to strengthen your foot.

If you have a bunion, using RAD Rounds can't realign the big toe inward. But doing a foot release with RAD Rounds can promote optimal foot function and the prevention of bunions.

Priced at $16 RAD Rounds are recommended for all foot types and bunions

ToeSox Five Toe Sandals have a comfortable foot-bed, a laid-back style, and come in various strap colors and materials. But what really makes them special is that they have toe-spreaders. 

Narrow-toe-box shoes squish your toes together, but these sandals give your toes room to breathe and spread. Spreading the toes is an exercise that relieves some of the pain and discomfort from bunions. 

ToeSox Sandals gently align the toes which can train them to stay aligned naturally, as they should. This reduces your chances of getting a bunion.

Priced at $39.95 these sandals are great option for warmer weather

Summary

To avoid bunions or slow their progression, keep your feet strong and healthy. Use corrective devices like Bunion Bootie, Correct Toes, and ToeSox Sandals to cue the toes into more natural alignment. Exercise the foot with Feet-Ness Rescue LOOP, and massage them with RAD Rounds. And finally, reduce foot pain and stay barefoot strong with Naboso Technology Insoles.