What has your experience been with foot physio to delay the need for further deterioration and surgery?

F

I have bunions on both feet. My left is the worse. My big toe stays numb all the time. I can't walk barefooted. It hurts. I been doing the toe spacers. I have tried everything nothing has worked. I guess I will have to live with it. I don't want the surgery.

Following - I'm also in Australia.

I learned about wide toe box footwear in 2024 and it is helping me a lot. I bought Altra running shoes and Topo running shoes. I have been able to hike and have pain free feet. I have had bunions for decades. I also follow a couple of Instagram accounts for ideas for exercises although I’m not that diligent with practicing the exercises. The accounts to follow are Gaithappens and thefootcollective. If there are kids in your life, it’s a benefit to them if you check out julianalucky on Instagram too. But again, more than anything, be sure to find footwear with toe splay space. Altra and Topo have websites for most countries and if ordering direct from those sites, the return policies are good. Footwear and exercises are low risk and worth a try 🙂

There are excercices to be found on YouTube and physiotherapists may help you find suitable excercices. It probably all depends on how bad your bunions are. I'm 3 weeks post op now and I've been postponing surgery for 35 years, saying I never wanted this surgery, never had physio for my bunions. Back then it was not prescribed for bunions. My physio (for another issue i had) assured me in may that surgery would not result in back problems and that it was time to have the surgery to avoid not fitting in any shoes anymore in a few years time. My big toes have been bending inwards since several years. Another surgeon (consulted for synovial cyste problem) told me 4 years ago it was time to have the surgery. I don't tolerate the custom made insoles. They where prescribed in 2006 by a (i call her crazy) surgeon who ordered an ultrasound between my third and fourth toes with a thick probe back then which was not possible and an mri tot exclude morton neuroma. It turns out morton neuroma never occurs in that place. She's not the only surgeon who does not know that. When having to choose a surgeon it's worthwhile waiting for a very knowledgeble good topsurgeon. Anyway the insoles (19 years ago) caused too much leg cramping and pain beneath my third toe from my left foot and did not reduce swelling underneath my third toe. I did ware them until they where bad enough to throw away. If they insoles would not work, is could come back for cortisone injections. I never went back to that surgeon who did not help me and only caused more pain when walking. I've been trying fitflops and the past years sketchers archfit and for fitness brooks which helped preserve my foot arch. My angles are 34 % in the left foot and 33% on the right foot. After carefully reading reviews on fb, is made and appointment with a top surgeon. I had to wait 3 months for my first appointment and if not for the meeting with the anesthesiologist in advance and the necessary RX, I could have opted for surgery the next day. There where 8 days between consult and surgery in my left foot Since my second toe was very slightly going towards hamertoe and my third toe had been giving me recurring swelling and cyst issues for more than 35 years, the surgeon also performed a weill 2,3 osteotomy. The Weill procedure is more painfull then the Akin and scarf osteotomy. My mom had surgery when her toes where already on top of each other. She had dangerous Kpins. She managed to get stuck with the Kpins in a wooden door plint/style and to have surgery again on that foot. So in a way i'm relieved that my surgeon did not use kpins. My surgeon also used resovable under the skin stitches (special technic with one thread to be removed 2 weeks post op) and tried to reduce scarring tissue to create an appleasing esthetical result. So no ugly purple threads who cause ugly scarring. In case surgery is recommended, read about the possible procedures in advance. Some procedures have a higher percentage of recurrence.