Bunions are a very frequent problem of the feet. Bunions are mainly caused by the shoes that are too tight pressing the big toe over and causing the metatarsophalangeal joint at the base of the big toe to become bigger. That is what a bunion is. The continued stress from the shoe can become rather painful and osteoarthritis can develop within the joint. They are more common in women, most likely as they are very likely to use more firmly fitting high heel shoes. The only way to make them go away would be to have surgery. As we walk on our feet and that big toe or hallux is an important joint, surgery on that joint is associated with a time period of at least several months of impairment following the surgery. Because of this, lots of people prefer to stay away from the surgical solution if they can.
There really are no conservative choices to eliminate them. However, there are several non-surgical choices which might stop them being painful, however they can not get rid of them. There are the bunion correctors that are splints which you put on at night which are alleged to correct the angle of the big toe. These bunion correctors do keep the big toe mobile and flexible which is a positive thing, however they don't make anymore than a couple of degrees difference to the angle of the big toe. Exercises to maintain the big toe joint mobile and supple are usually beneficial with some of the pain that can develop inside the joint. When there is pain around the joint from strain from the footwear, then it is critical that the footwear be wide enough and fitted properly. Various pads may be used to keep force off the enlarged joint. These kinds of non-surgical choices will not make bunions disappear, however they go along way to helping any pain that they can have from the bunions.