Bunions are a painful condition of the big toe joint. There are many treatments for bunions ranging from surgery to bunion splints. One of the treatments recommended for bunion sufferers is orthotics, or insoles for your shoes. Now to be clear, orthotics will not cure your bunion. The only treatment that cures a bunion is surgery. What orthotics can do, is reduce some of the pain by redistributing forces and help control abnormal biomechanics that may accelerate the bunion formation. It is unclear if Orthotics actually can slow bunion formation as that is not fully studied.
That said, orthotics for bunions carry no downside and may help you for pain relief. Think of orthotics as glasses; they do not cure your vision but help you see better. What orthotics are you going to look for to help your bunion? You want an orthotic that is firm with good biomechanical control as well as having padding in the metarsal area to help you with the pain. One of the problems that occur as a result of the bunion is the ball of your feet must bear more weight than would be required in a non bunion foot.
One of the best orthotics you can get is a custom orthotic created by a Podiatrist. The Podiatrist takes an impression of your foot to generate an orthotic specificaly designed for you. These orthotics, however, can be very expensive,sometimes as much as $400. Occasionally custom orthotics are covered by insurance. If orthotics are covered by your insurance then this is the way to go. If not then try an over the counter orthotic t such as the orthotics listed below:
Here is a list of Bunion Orthotics that may help your discomfort:
Barefoot Science Active Insole– These orthotics can help control excessive pronation as well as provide extra padding underneath the ball of the foot.
New Balance Pressure Relief Insoles– If you are having pain in the metatarsal area of your foot and suffer from a bunion these orthotics are ideal. These orthotics specialize in pressure relief in that exact area and are backed up by the New Balance Brand.
Pedag Semi Rigid Orthotic– This is probably the best for providing a combination of the orthotics listed above.
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