How effective are orthotics at treating bunions?

Orthotics are helpful for bunion patients when it comes to restoring control of the foot. However, they only help with the deformity associated with bunions in limited cases, according to Podiatry Today.

Orthotics give motion back to the toe joint while the person is walking. This counteracts the limitations that many people have in the first metatarsophalangeal joint, which leads to compression and the eventual formation of the bunion. However, the movement of the back of the foot during pronation is what leads to the bump on the side of the foot. Foot orthotics can decrease that torque, but experts note that alleviation of the deformity is largely limited to active athletes, reports Podiatry Today.