Do bunion correctors actually work?

[debby]

I have had for a while now a nasty bunion on the side of my big toes after years of wearing tight-fitting boots. On tv, there was an advert for a bunion corrector that will apparently “straighten” your toes and get rid of your bunion for you. I am pretty sure that bunions can only be removed through surgery? Or am I wrong and can and don’t you need surgery to get rid of bunions?

Any ideas, please? Thank you!

[Doris69]

Very interested! I think I have one too and after seeing a friend have surgery I’m not keen on that!
Mines, not a problem yet other than some of my nice shoes are a bit too tight on that foot but I’ve seen these advertised and been tempted myself.

[Connie]

They only work whilst you continue to wear them. A bunion is a laxity (so maybe they have been stretched) in the ligaments which have allowed the bone in your toe and the metatarsal to become misaligned so rather than forming a nice straight line they look like this < with the point being the bunion that you see on the outside. here is a link to an Xray picture of a bunion:

and a normal foot for comparison:

The only way to permanently correct it is surgery to either shave down the bones or tighten up the ligaments and pull everything back into place.

Bunion correctors force the bones into alignment and hold them there, but often very painful and as said before only work whilst being worn. They are also considered to be a medical device in the UK and therefore should be CE marked however most of these dodgy products are not.

I used to work in Footcare R&D and the amount of those that crossed our desks was phenomenal not one having any scientific backing. Your options are either to pad it so you don’t irritate it further or have surgery to fix it.

[Brinny]

A bunion is an extra bone that has grown on the side of your foot. How can a piece of plastic get rid of that? I had surgery – it didn’t actually hurt as much as the bunion did. To get the operation you have to tell your doctor that it is excruciatingly painful and stops you from doing everyday activities. It wasn’t until after the op I realized how much I had stopped doing because of the constant pain. I did try an orthotic once, made by a chiropodist but it didn’t make any difference.

[betty]

My OH had the surgery last year when he was 31 after trying all sorts of contraptions.

They declined the surgery, first of all, saying he was too young and he just needed to do less (my OH runs many times a week, cycles, and works out at the gym 7 days a week – all because he was a VERY fat teenager and he never wishes to return to that again) The x-ray was horrific, his actual foot looked to have splayed out much more than other foot.

In the end, we got the funding on mental health grounds as he couldn’t do all the exercise that kept him sane due to excruciating pain, and has 2 rods in his foot now.

He recovered well, was back in the gym in his boot within 48 hours doing non-impact stuff and went swimming as soon as the wound healed to help build it up. He’s now faster and fitter than ever – it’s worth going to the Drs and looking at surgery!

[debra]

I’m glad your OH is fighting fit again but I’m now thinking of making my OH have the op (he doesn’t actually have a bunion) if it will leave him ‘faster and fitter’ Currently, he’s neither fast nor fit and I keep trying to chivvy him along the exercise path but he’s a deskbound workaholic.

[debra]

Sorry, you’re suffering OP I have no experience of bunions other than a work colleague (in her 20s) who had the op years ago and returned to work in a wheelchair. I was shocked as I didn’t really know what a bunion was or what the surgery involved. I think she made a full recovery in time.

[debby]

Thanks for the replies guys much appreciated!

So im guessing the conclusion is that if I wear a bunion corrector it could make things worse by adding extra pressure onto my big toe? Seeing as tight boots caused my bunion in the first place I can imagine making them even tighter by wearing a corrector would not be a good idea at all. Cannot even trust tv adverts nowadays.. snake oil everywhere!

[ellen]

I have terrible bunions, on my big toes, and also one on my little toe, which I believe is called a tailors bunions. I am not a tailor. I hate my feet they are so ugly but don’t think I could go down the road of having surgery. I am forced to wear wide old lady shoes instead That’s wide shoes, I am not a wide lady!

[elly]

My friend had surgery. She can wear ‘normal’ shoes now. Both her son and daughter have had both feet operated on. The podiatrist said bunions can be ‘inherited’ as well as caused by badly fitting footwear. I think they were all unable to ride for about 3 months.

[susieq]

I have a bunion on one foot it only hurts with certain shoes I can even wear heels I am glad it doesn’t hurt but I wonder why some really hurt and some don’t strange.

[yoyo]

I had hallux rigidus, similar to bunion but the bone growth in on the top of the toe, not the side. Had surgery on both, not at the same time though. Extra bone whacked off down the joint and metal plate black and deckered on. Horrid surgery, toe looked like a huge sausage sewed up with saddlers twine, bloody painful and I had to wear a shoe thingy that tipped the foot back so I didn’t put weight on the toe metal work.

The end result is brilliant, big toes are rigid but I don’t notice, the scar has faded to nothing, I would do it again if I had any more big toes!

Think bunion surgery would be similar.

[Gemma]

I had mine surgically corrected and it was an amazing improvement. It was pretty painful recovery wise (you would not believe how much it hurts if you accidentally catch it!) but since then I have not had a jot of pain. I was on crutches for about 8 weeks and now have 4 screws in my foot but it was worth it. It used to really ache, which is why I opted for surgery, and now nothing. And I no longer wear holes in the side of my shoes! Mine were definitely inherited as I have worn nothing but sensible shoes and trainers since I was tiny.

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