Bunion

Home care

• Don't wear high heels. These shoes force your foot forward, crowding the toes together.

• Wear comfortable shoes with a wide toe area. Or have your existing shoes stretched by a shoe repair shop.

• Don't wear shoes that are tight, narrow, or pointed.

• If you are flat-footed, using arch supports may help prevent further deformity. The best shoe inserts are the ones custom made by an orthotic professional, an orthotist, or other health care provider.

• Put a bunion pad over the bunion to ease pressure of your shoe against the bunion. You can buy these pads at most pharmacies without a prescription.

• To reduce pain and swelling, apply an ice pack over the injured area for 15 to 20 minutes. Do this every 1 to 2 hours the first day. Keep using ice 3 to 4 times a day until the pain and swelling goes away.

• To make an ice pack, put ice cubes in a sealed zip-lock plastic bag. Wrap the bag in a clean, thin towel or cloth. Never put ice or an ice pack directly on the skin. Check your skin often for sensation while using cold therapy. This will help make sure you aren't damaging the tissues.

• You may use over-the-counter pain medicine to control pain, unless another medicine was prescribed. Talk with your provider before using these medicines if you have chronic liver or kidney disease, you ever had a stomach ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding, or you use a blood thinner.

Follow-up care

Follow up with a health care provider as advised.

If X-rays were taken, you will be notified of any new findings that may affect your care.

When to get medical care

Contact your provider if you have:

• Increasing pain or redness around the base of the big toe.

• A painful ingrown toenail, with redness and swelling or pus around the nail.