Bunion Splint
How and When to Use a Bunion Splint
A bunion splint is not so much the answer to bunions but a way of trying to decrease their growth and effects. You will probably not get rid of your bunions by wearing a bunions splint, but most people who use bunion splints find that the pain they feel from having bunions decreases when they wear bunion splints. There are different kinds of bunion splints, some for the day, and some for night, some for wearing with shoes, and some for wearing barefoot. You should research them carefully and decide which way they can serve you best.
What are bunions?
Just in case you haven’t heard or aren’t sure if what you have counts as a bunion, here’s a quick overview. A bunion is a deformity of foot that looks like a growth on the side of your foot. The main complication arising from bunions is that the big toe will tend to start bending toward the other toes becoming painful over time. People who spend a lot of time on their feet because of work or habit tend to have worse problems than those who don’t.
Treatment
The treatment for bunions can range from just changing shoes and soaking your feet in salt water in mild cases to surgery in severe cases. Generally speaking, podiatrists consider bunion splints a mid level treatment for bunions. The main effect of bunion splints is in pain reduction although wearing them can also decrease some of the detrimental development of the bunion’s effects on the toes.
A bunion splint works by binding the big toe to a straight edge so that the big toe does not have the opportunity to bend inward. The wrapping that attaches the big toe to the splint also has the added effect of offering support for the foot overall which can sometimes be helpful.
Types of Bunion Splints
There are two main types of bunion splints, those made for nighttime use and those made for daytime use. Nighttime bunion splints tend to be more effective because they are made so that you can wear them without shoes. They tend to be too large for daytime use. Ideally, you want to use your nighttime bunion splint after you have gotten home from work. You clean your feet off, and then let your feet soak for ten minutes to half an hour in a liquid foot massager (with Epson salts is often the preferred method), then after you are done, place the splint next to your foot and wrap your big toe and foot to it. You can usually sleep in them.
Some people prefer toe spreaders instead of the nighttime splint. Toe spreaders can feel quite wonderful after a day of having your toes smashed together inside of your shoes, but they are neither ideal for walking nor do they offer the best kind of support for the foot. In addition, they tend to separate the toes into unnatural positions. Most people also find them far too uncomfortable to sleep in, and more than a little ugly to wear.
Daytime splints have the benefit of reducing the damage to your toes even as it is happening, giving your feet the extra support throughout the day. Most people find that they tend not to work all that well for them, especially if you spend a lot of time on you feet. The constant movement of the feet tends to make them bunch up or slide uncomfortably. In addition, they preclude the wearing of open toed shoes or any kind of elevated heel.
Most people opt to wear orthopedic shoes and insoles in the place of using daytime splints and simply save their splints for nighttime.