7 Exercises for Bunions and Pain
Stretches and Therapies to Ease Pain and Possibly Correct Foot Shape
Medically reviewed by Amy Kwan, PT, DPT
Exercises for bunions and pain can help prevent or slow bunion development or progression by reducing pressure on the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint and strengthening the toe and foot muscles. Bunion self-care and stretches for bunion symptom relief can be used for mild to moderate bunions.
Even people with severe bunions can benefit from gentle, slow, targeted toe exercises. People who undergo bunion surgery will be given exercise guidelines suitable for their recovery.
This article will explain which stretches for bunion pain and improved toe mobility and balance are best, how a physical therapist or podiatrist can offer help, and what to do for bunion pain, as well as offer some important reminders about exercising with bunions.
Related: The 8 Best Products for Bunion Support of 2023
At-Home Exercises to Try for Bunions
Exercises for bunions are considered therapeutic and often the necessary first step for individuals who have been inactive or sedentary, have restricted joint motion or weakened muscle strength, are experiencing toe joint pain, or are recovering from a bunion removal surgery. Exercise can help reduce bunion pain and improve mobility.
Takeaway
When doing stretches for bunion pain relief or treatment, perform all exercises barefoot and try to hold each repetition for five seconds. Perform exercises daily and repeat each exercise until you feel the muscles becoming tired. Exercises require either sitting, standing on both feet, or standing on one foot.
Toe Circles
Toe circles, particularly, are a good bunion exercise for people with severe foot pain and difficulty walking due to bunions. The benefits of this exercise include working on mobility or joint functioning and relieving pain and pressure.
To do this exercise:
Sit down in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair.
Use your fingers to gently and slowly rotate your toes in circles.
Work up to doing 20 reps on each big toe.
Related: Self-Care Tips to Soothe Aching Feet at Home
Toe Pulls
Toe pulls are gentle stretches that help improve big-toe joint mobility affected by bunions. Mobility is essential for being able to walk. Even if you have a bunion on one side, you should still perform the exercise on both sides to increase overall mobility and foot health.
How to complete this exercise:
Put your foot on a stool or chair.
Hold your foot just proximal to (nearer to the center of) the area where the toes meet the foot to provide stability.
With your other hand, gently pull your big toe forward and then flex it downward, toward your sole, until you feel a gentle stretch (but not pain).
Related: Foot Anatomy and Common Foot Problems
Toe Adductor Muscle Stretch
The adductor muscle in the foot helps keep your foot in alignment. The toe adductor stretch is similar to a toe pull, but instead of pulling downward, you’re pulling sideways toward the affected MTP joint and relieving pressure on the adductor muscle between the first and second metatarsals (the bit toe and first toe).
Do it as follows:
With your foot flat on the floor, use your fingers to separate the big toe and pull toward the bunion.
Stretch the other toes in the opposite direction of the big toe.
You can also massage the top of the foot at the adductor line (between big toe and second toe) for added relief.
Related: The 6 Best Foot Massagers of 2023, Tested in Our Lab
Toe Splays
Toe splays help strengthen key foot muscles and reduce bunion-related pain.
How to complete this exercise:
Sit in a chair.
While keeping your heel on the floor, spread your toes.
While your toes are spread apart, push your little toe down on the floor.
Push your big toe down and towards your foot.
Related: 4 Common Conditions That Affect Your Toes
Toe Splays With Rubber Bands
This resistance exercise is said to be helpful for bunions, toe cramps, and hammertoe.
How to complete this exercise:
Sit down in a chair.
Put a thick rubber band around all five toes.
Try to spread the toes (holding for five seconds).
Work up to 10 reps each session.
Repeat with the other foot.
Read Next: How to Treat Foot Drop With an Elastic Resistance Band
Marble Pickup
The marble pickup activity is aimed at building toe and foot strength. Any small object that’s safe to grab with your bare toes will work (it doesn't have to be a marble). After getting comfortable with the reps, you can increase the amount of small objects to 10 or 20 per exercise session.
How to complete this exercise:
Sit in chair.
Place four or five small objects like marbles out in front of you and to one side of the chair (using a bowl to hold the marbles, if not on carpet).
Use your toes to grab one marble at a time and move it to the other side of your chair.
Switch feet and use toes to bring marbles back to the original side.
Related: What Causes Foot Cramps and How to Treat Them
Heel raises
Heel raises are part of simple foot-strengthening exercises recommended for preventing and treating bunions.
How to complete this exercise:
Stand with your knees bent, and heels turned slightly inward.
Elevate, or lift, your arch.
Raise your heel off the floor (while keeping pressure on your big toe).
Related: 10 Heel Spur Exercises to Try at Home
Yoga for Bunions
Many of the exercises for bunions are also exercises found in yoga. The effectiveness comes from the type of movement. The American College of Rheumatology says recreational activities such as yoga, tai chi, and also golfing incorporate both active range-of-motion (AROM) and stretching movements into their routines.
Physical Therapy Exercises for Bunions
A physical therapist can be helpful in both the preventive and active stages of bunion development and progression. A physical therapist can:
Assess your current foot health and goals
Help you decide on best exercises depending on level of bunion severity and overall health status (i.e., if you're post-op)
Work with you to reduce risk of injury, including how to modify exercises for bunions as needed
Provide information on best footwear for bunions and exercising
If you’re having any challenges or concerns with the at-home exercises for bunions, for example, a physical therapist may add supportive tools such as electrical stimulation to demonstrate which muscles are contracting and help you determine the most effective exercise form.
Takeaway
Up to 15% of people experience bunions again after removal. Following the specific bunion self-care after surgery guidelines provided by your surgeon is necessary for reducing the risk of preventing bunion return.
Related: Recovery After Surgery
What Else Besides Exercise Eases Bunion Pain?
There are other methods of relieving bunion pain, especially the type of pain associated with walking. Every time we step, we engage the affected toe joint. As we push our toe down to walk, it puts pressure on the joint, causing pain. Pain treatment methods include:
Natural relief with cold therapy or using ice packs on the affect joint
Over-the-counter (OTC) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen)
Topical NSAIDs such as the common OTC arthritis cream Voltaren (diclofenac)
Wearing shoes with enough room in the toe box to relieve pressure
Using bunion pads in shoes if necessary
Using toe spacers, splints, or braces as recommended by your healthcare provider
Takeaway
Voltaren’s benefits for pain and joint functioning have been shown in multiple studies in people affected by osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis.
Related: The 12 Best Shoes for Bunions of 2023
Reminders While Exercising With Bunions
The American College of Rheumatology recommends starting any exercise routine off slowly with a few, low-intensity options to ensure success.
Takeaway
Taking care of your foot health with regular targeted toe exercising is part of preventing or managing bunions. However, there is no way to reverse, shrink, or fix the bunion with exercises. The way to straighten the toe joint or correct its alignment is bunion surgery.
Bunion exercises can help build strength and improve functioning in your feet. However, overextending or pulling on your affected toe joint will cause more pain, and could lead to injury such as turf toe. Bunion exercises should be followed to prevent injury and promote relief and recovery, especially in the any post-op stages after bunion surgery.
Do I Need to See a Podiatrist?
If your bunion pain, bunion size, or joint pain If you are causing too much pain to perform these bunion exercises, consulting with a physical therapist or a podiatrist—a medical doctor specializing in foot, ankle, and lower-leg health—would be your next step. Ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a physical therapist, who can assess the severity of the bunion and tailor exercises to your personal benefit, or a podiatrist, who can diagnose, prescribe medication, and perform bunion surgery.
Related: How to Find a Qualified Podiatrist
Summary
There is no magic exercise that can shrink bunions naturally. Bunion self-care and exercising for bunion prevention and symptom management is crucial for foot health and walking ability. Bunion exercises include stretching the area around the affected joint, strengthening the foot, and improving mobility and balance.
A physical therapist can help you choose the right footwear and assist with bunion exercises. Some people may need to see a podiatrist, a medical specialist, for bunion assessment and potential surgery.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
