A health expert has come up with an ingenious but simple way to deal with those painful bunions that often leave people feeling semi-crippled.
How to get rid of bunions
His method involves a well-known tool for stopping nail polish smudging often used when someone goes for a pedicure.
Toe spacers – plastic or foam pads that sit in between the toes.
Dr Aaron Horschig, a physical therapist, author and strength coach working in Missouri, has revealed on TikTok that the tool has another little-known use, preventing and treating unsightly bunions.
What are bunions?
Bunions are a deformity of the toe joint, a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of the big toe as a result of excess compression of the foot bones which causes the big toe to point inwards and the bone at the base of the toe to jut outwards.
What are bunions’ correctors?
The doctor said in a video posted to his channel: ‘I am a big fan of using toe spacers, like Correct Toes which, like braces to the teeth, help realign toes with the metatarsals of your foot.’
It is estimated that almost a quarter of us have these bony protrusions, and that rises to more than a third of over-65s. These unsightly foot bumps affect around 14 million people in the UK.
And even princesses are not immune from having problem feet. Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle suffer with bunions.
The lump is often accompanied by pain and swelling in the muscle joints, however some people have bunions and never really experience any discomfort.
What cause bunions?
The problem can result from wearing tight shoes too, although it is more common for genetics to play a big part and there are limited treatments.
If there is an extreme case then surgery can be given, but that carries risks of infection and requires weeks of recovery.
But toe spacers, which cost less than £10 on Amazon, can prevent the problem from happening in the first place and even treat it, according to Dr Horschig.
