Home › Foot problems › Bunion pain treatment without surgery
Bunion rubbing in every shoe?
Help to find shoes you can wear without the rub
Bunion pain treatment without surgery
Bunion (hallux valgus) pain can often be eased with wider, deeper shoes, padding, joint exercises and sometimes orthotics. These don't straighten the toe, and surgery isn't needed just because a bunion is visible. We don't perform surgery; if it makes sense, we write to your GP. We also care for painful hammer toes and toe corns.
How we can help at Burwood Podiatry
Bunion pain can often be eased without surgery. We don't straighten the toe, but we can help it hurt less, so choosing shoes stops being a battle.
- An assessment of the joint, pressure areas and your shoes
- Padding or toe props, and care for corns on the bunion or toes: corns and calluses
- Joint exercises tailored to you: strength and rehab
- Footwear advice, and orthotics only for a clear goal
- Hammer toes and toe corns cared for too; if surgery makes sense, we write to your GP
What you can do at home
- Wide, deep, soft shoes with room for your toes; avoid high heels and pointed shoes
- Stop using any spacer or pad that creates new pressure
- Gentle big-toe movement exercises if they don't hurt
- Trace your foot and compare it with the shoe's insole when shopping
When to get it checked
- Pain that limits walking, work or exercise
- Corns, rubbing or redness over the bunion or toes
- The bunion is getting worse quickly
- A suddenly hot, red, swollen and very painful big-toe joint: same-day medical care
A suddenly hot, red, swollen and very painful big-toe joint needs same-day medical care. Emergency, or a foot that suddenly turns cold, pale or blue? Call 000.
Bunion questions
Why does my bunion rub in every shoe?
A bunion makes the forefoot wider at the big-toe joint, so most shoes press on the bump, and corns or redness can follow. Wider, deeper, soft shoes, padding or toe props usually ease the rubbing; they don't straighten the toe, but they can help it hurt less.
Do I need bunion surgery?
Many bunions don't. Surgery is worth discussing when pain keeps limiting daily life despite good non-surgical care, not because a bunion looks large.
Do bunion correctors and splints work?
Spacers and splints may ease rubbing for some people, but they don't straighten the bone or reverse a bunion.
Can a podiatrist help with a bunion?
We can often ease the pain, but not straighten the joint. If surgery makes sense, we write to your GP.
Where to next
Sources
Reviewed by Burwood Podiatry · November 2026