Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAt-Home ExercisesPhysical Therapy ExercisesWhat Else Helps?Things to Keep in Mind
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
At-Home Exercises
Physical Therapy Exercises
What Else Helps?
Things to Keep in Mind
Even people with severe bunions can benefit from gentle, slow, targeted toe exercises. People who undergo bunion surgery will be given exercise guidelines suitable for their recovery.
This article will explain which stretches for bunion pain and improved toe mobility and balance are best, how a physical therapist or podiatrist can offer help, and what to do for bunion pain, as well as offer some important reminders about exercising with bunions.
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At-Home Exercises to Try for Bunions
Exercises for bunions are considered therapeutic and often the necessary first step for individuals who have been inactive or sedentary, have restricted joint motion or weakened muscle strength, are experiencing toe joint pain, or are recovering from a bunion removal surgery. Exercise can help reduce bunion pain and improve mobility.
When doing stretches for bunion pain relief or treatment, perform all exercises barefoot and try to hold each repetition for five seconds. Perform exercises daily and repeat each exercise until you feel the muscles becoming tired. Exercises require either sitting, standing on both feet, or standing on one foot.
Toe Circles
Toe circles, particularly, are a good bunion exercise for people with severe foot pain and difficulty walking due to bunions. The benefits of this exercise include working on mobility or joint functioning and relieving pain and pressure.
To do this exercise:
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Toe Pulls
How to complete this exercise:
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Toe Adductor Muscle Stretch
The adductor muscle in the foot helps keep your foot in alignment.The toe adductor stretch is similar to a toe pull, but instead of pulling downward, you’re pulling sideways toward the affected MTP joint and relieving pressure on the adductor muscle between the first and second metatarsals (the bit toe and first toe).
Do it as follows:
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Toe Splays
Toe splays help strengthen key foot muscles and reduce bunion-related pain.
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Toe Splays With Rubber Bands
This resistance exercise is said to be helpful for bunions, toe cramps, and hammertoe.
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Marble Pickup
The marble pickup activity is aimed at building toe and foot strength. Any small object that’s safe to grab with your bare toes will work (it doesn’t have to be a marble). After getting comfortable with the reps, you can increase the amount of small objects to 10 or 20 per exercise session.
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Heel raises
Heel raises are part of simple foot-strengthening exercises recommended for preventing and treating bunions.
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Yoga for BunionsMany of the exercises for bunions are also exercises found in yoga. The effectiveness comes from the type of movement. The American College of Rheumatology says recreational activities such as yoga, tai chi, and also golfing incorporate both active range-of-motion (AROM) and stretching movements into their routines.
Yoga for Bunions
Many of the exercises for bunions are also exercises found in yoga. The effectiveness comes from the type of movement. The American College of Rheumatology says recreational activities such as yoga, tai chi, and also golfing incorporate both active range-of-motion (AROM) and stretching movements into their routines.
Physical Therapy Exercises for Bunions
A physical therapist can be helpful in both the preventive and active stages of bunion development and progression. A physical therapist can:
If you’re having any challenges or concerns with the at-home exercises for bunions, for example, a physical therapist may add supportive tools such as electrical stimulation to demonstrate which muscles are contracting and help you determine the most effective exercise form.
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What Else Besides Exercise Eases Bunion Pain?
There are other methods of relieving bunion pain, especially the type of pain associated with walking. Every time we step, we engage the affected toe joint. As we push our toe down to walk, it puts pressure on the joint, causing pain. Pain treatment methods include:
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Reminders While Exercising With Bunions
The American College of Rheumatology recommends starting any exercise routine off slowly with a few, low-intensity options to ensure success.
Taking care of your foot health with regular targeted toe exercising is part of preventing or managing bunions. However, there is no way to reverse, shrink, or fix the bunion with exercises. The way to straighten the toe joint or correct its alignment is bunion surgery.
Bunion exercises can help build strength and improve functioning in your feet. However, overextending or pulling on your affected toe joint will cause more pain, and could lead toinjury such as turf toe.Bunion exercises should be followed to prevent injury and promote relief and recovery, especially in the any post-op stages after bunion surgery.
Do I Need to See a Podiatrist?If yourbunion pain, bunion size, or joint painIf you are causing too much pain to perform these bunion exercises, consulting with a physical therapist or a podiatrist—a medical doctor specializing in foot, ankle, and lower-leg health—would be your next step.Ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a physical therapist, who can assess the severity of the bunion and tailor exercises to your personal benefit, or a podiatrist, who can diagnose, prescribe medication, and perform bunion surgery.
Do I Need to See a Podiatrist?
If yourbunion pain, bunion size, or joint painIf you are causing too much pain to perform these bunion exercises, consulting with a physical therapist or a podiatrist—a medical doctor specializing in foot, ankle, and lower-leg health—would be your next step.Ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a physical therapist, who can assess the severity of the bunion and tailor exercises to your personal benefit, or a podiatrist, who can diagnose, prescribe medication, and perform bunion surgery.
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Summary
There is no magic exercise that can shrink bunions naturally. Bunion self-care and exercising for bunion prevention and symptom management is crucial for foot health and walking ability. Bunion exercises include stretching the area around the affected joint, strengthening the foot, and improving mobility and balance.
A physical therapist can help you choose the right footwear and assist with bunion exercises. Some people may need to see a podiatrist, a medical specialist, for bunion assessment and potential surgery.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bunion: Strengthening foot muscles to reduce pain and improve mobility.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016;46(7):606-606. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.0504Elizabeth E. Auger, DPM.7 exercises great for relieving bunion pain.Loyola University Medical Education Network.Adductor hallucis.OrthoInfo.Foot and ankle conditioning program.American College of Rheumatology.Exercise and arthritis.American Academy for Orthopedic Surgeons.Bunions.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion surgery.Bariguian Revel F, Fayet M, Hagen M.Topical diclofenac, an efficacious treatment for osteoarthritis: A narrative review.Rheumatol Ther. 2020;7(2):217-236. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00196-6American Academy for Orthopaedic Surgeons.Turf toe.Ehlers-Danos Support UK.Footcare in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bunion: Strengthening foot muscles to reduce pain and improve mobility.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016;46(7):606-606. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.0504Elizabeth E. Auger, DPM.7 exercises great for relieving bunion pain.Loyola University Medical Education Network.Adductor hallucis.OrthoInfo.Foot and ankle conditioning program.American College of Rheumatology.Exercise and arthritis.American Academy for Orthopedic Surgeons.Bunions.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion surgery.Bariguian Revel F, Fayet M, Hagen M.Topical diclofenac, an efficacious treatment for osteoarthritis: A narrative review.Rheumatol Ther. 2020;7(2):217-236. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00196-6American Academy for Orthopaedic Surgeons.Turf toe.Ehlers-Danos Support UK.Footcare in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bunion: Strengthening foot muscles to reduce pain and improve mobility.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016;46(7):606-606. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.0504Elizabeth E. Auger, DPM.7 exercises great for relieving bunion pain.Loyola University Medical Education Network.Adductor hallucis.OrthoInfo.Foot and ankle conditioning program.American College of Rheumatology.Exercise and arthritis.American Academy for Orthopedic Surgeons.Bunions.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion surgery.Bariguian Revel F, Fayet M, Hagen M.Topical diclofenac, an efficacious treatment for osteoarthritis: A narrative review.Rheumatol Ther. 2020;7(2):217-236. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00196-6American Academy for Orthopaedic Surgeons.Turf toe.Ehlers-Danos Support UK.Footcare in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Bunion: Strengthening foot muscles to reduce pain and improve mobility.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016;46(7):606-606. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.0504
Elizabeth E. Auger, DPM.7 exercises great for relieving bunion pain.
Loyola University Medical Education Network.Adductor hallucis.
OrthoInfo.Foot and ankle conditioning program.
American College of Rheumatology.Exercise and arthritis.
American Academy for Orthopedic Surgeons.Bunions.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion surgery.
Bariguian Revel F, Fayet M, Hagen M.Topical diclofenac, an efficacious treatment for osteoarthritis: A narrative review.Rheumatol Ther. 2020;7(2):217-236. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00196-6
American Academy for Orthopaedic Surgeons.Turf toe.
Ehlers-Danos Support UK.Footcare in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
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