How To Run With Bunions

If you are unlucky enough to have developed a bunion while you were running, you might be worried that your favorite form of exercise is impossible now unless you get surgery or wait for it to heal. Luckily, this is not the case. Although bunions can be painful, there are things that you can do to run with bunions successfully while you wait for surgery to become a viable option for your current situation in life.

1. Tape Your Toe Back

A bunion forms when you have frequent pressure on the big toe joint, causing it to enlarge. There is a painful, knobby protrusion on your toe that can result in you experiencing a lot of pain every time you run. You can help reduce a lot of this pain by simply taking one of the toe separators that you can buy at your local drug store or online and put it between your big toe and your second toe. Then, use runners tape to attach the big toe to the toe separator. This will increase the flow of blood to the enlarged joint of your toe and will help it heal. 

2. Exercise Your Big Toe

The next thing that you have to do is stretch out your big toe a few times a day to further bring blood flow to the joint. Sit on the ground with the leg that has the bunion on it stretched straight out in front of you. Bend your other knee so that your foot is flat on the ground. Grab this to steady yourself. Then, take the big toe that has the bunion and pull it out to the side, away from all of the other toes. Hold it for a second and then let it relax back towards your toes. Do this between 5 and 15 times a day.

3. Get a Roomy Shoe

Finally, be sure that you are getting a roomy running shoe that has plenty of room for your toes to stretch out and not be constantly rubbing against the walls of the shoe while you run. This will help prevent the pain that comes with having a bunion so that you can run more normally. It also reduces the chances that you will develop any more bunions in the future because the pressure that creates them will not be there.

 For more information, talk to a podiatrist that specializes in bunions, such as Robert A. Raley, DPM.