How to Stop Bunion Burning Pain

If you wear high heels, tight fitting shoes or shoes with pointed toes, you may develop bunions. Medline Plus reports that if you are born with abnormal bones in your feet you may also be susceptible to bunions. A bunion forms as a bony bump located at the portion of your foot where it meets your big toe. Red, callused skin may also cover the bunion, but the most noticeable feature of a bunion is the burning pain, which intensifies with pressure. Relieving the pressure often stops the burning pain.

Narrow shoes can cause bunions. (Image: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images)

Step 1

Relieve bunion pain by wearing wide, comfortable shoes. A wide-toe shoe instead of a narrow style will relieve the pressure on your bunion and give your toes some wiggle room.

Step 2

Slip a protective pad in between the fabric of the shoe and your bunion. Bunion shields have a foam or gel insert that slips over your big toe, cupping the bunion. Bunion shields are available in the pharmaceutical aisle of your grocery store, drugstores and online sources.

Step 3

Cool the burning sensation with an ice pack. Wrap the ice pack in a towel and lay the wrapped ice pack against your bunion. Leave the ice pack on your bunion for 15 minutes. Remove the ice pack for five minutes. Repeat the process until you feel relief.

Step 4

Try easing your burning bunion pain with an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen. An adult dose, ages 12 and up, of ibuprofen, according to Drugs.com, is 200 to 400 mg taken every four to six hours as needed. Daily doses of ibuprofen should not exceed 3,200 mg per day.

Things You'll Need

• Wide-toe shoes

• Bunion shield

• Ice pack

• Towel

Tip

See a podiatrist if the burning pain associated with your bunion does not improve or becomes intolerable. Sometimes surgery, bunionectomy, is required to realign the bones of your foot and remove the bony bump.

Warning

If you do not have an ice pack, fill a sealable plastic baggie with ice and wrap it in a towel.

Do not apply the ice pack directly to the bunion without a towel in between. The cold from the ice can harm your skin without a layer of protection.