Bunions really are a very common problem of the feet. They are largely due to the footwear which have been too tight pressing the big toe over and causing the metatarsophalangeal joint at the base of the big toe to become enlarged. That is what a bunion is. The continued force from the footwear can become quite painful and osteoarthritis can occur inside the joint. Bunions are more prevalent in women, quite possibly as they are more likely to wear more firmly fitting high heel shoes. The only way to get rid of bunions is to have surgery. Since we walk on the feet and that big toe or hallux is a vital joint, surgery on that joint is connected with a time of at least several months of disability after the surgery. For this reason, many people prefer to steer clear of the surgical solution if they can.

There are really no non-surgical alternatives to get rid of bunions. However, there are several conservative alternatives which could stop them being painful, but they are unable to make them go away. You will find the bunion correctors that are braces which you wear at night which are alleged to fix the angle of the big toe. These bunion correctors do keep your toe mobile and flexible which is a positive thing, but they do not make anymore than a couple of degrees difference to the angle of the great toe. Exercises to help keep the big toe joint mobile and flexible are often useful with some of the pain that may occur within the joint. If there is pain on the metatarsophalangeal joint from pressure from the footwear, then it's crucial that the footwear be wide enough and fitted appropriately. Various pads could be used to keep pressure off the enlarged metatarsophalangeal joint. These non-surgical alternatives is not going to make bunions go away, however they will go along way to helping any symptoms that they will have from the bunions.