Pain guide · Foot pain
A bunion is a bony lump on the side of the foot at the base of the big toe, with the big toe often pointing towards the others. Pain is usually worse in shoes and when walking. Bunions are common: about 23% of adults aged 18 to 65 and 36% of those over 65 have one, women more often than men.
The honest answer first: exercises may ease pain and keep your big toe moving and strong, but they are unlikely to straighten a bunion. Shoes that fit are the most reliable way to make one comfortable, and surgery is the only way to get rid of it.
Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.
In a review of nearly 500,000 people, 23% of adults aged 18 to 65 and 36% of those over 65 had a bunion: 30% of women and 13% of men. In 3,077 older adults, 44% of women and 22% of men had one, but only 11% and 3% had a painful one.
Women who mainly wore high heels through their adult life had 47% higher odds of a bunion, an association rather than proof of cause. The NHS says you may be more likely to get them if you wear shoes that don't fit properly.
The NHS says you cannot get rid of bunions or stop them getting worse yourself, but there are things you can do to ease any pain, and that surgery is the only way to get rid of them. Its self-care list is wide shoes with a low heel and a soft sole, ice for up to 5 minutes, bunion pads, painkillers and weight loss; a podiatrist may suggest insoles, toe spacers or splints. It doesn't list exercises.
Source 1
A 2022 review of 18 mostly small studies found that pooled analyses for orthoses, splints, manual therapy and taping added to exercise showed no clear effects. Single studies found less pain with orthoses, night or dynamic splints, manual therapy, taping plus exercise, and physiotherapy packages, and four reported a meaningful change in the toe's angle. The authors concluded that less pain is more likely than a straighter toe.
A 2026 network meta-analysis reported that exercise reduced the angle by about 3 degrees compared with a placebo comparison, more with taping or orthoses, but the quality of the studies was limited. Small angle changes are of uncertain importance.
In 56 women with moderate bunions, 36 sessions over 3 months of foot mobilisation, big toe press-down and toe-spreading strengthening, toe grip, ankle stretching and a toe separator gave better pain, function, strength and X-ray angles than a waiting list, at 3 months and at a year. It is one small trial, and the plan below follows its components.
Source 6
A Cochrane review found surgery may reduce pain compared with no treatment, based on one trial of 140 people (pain of 21 against 39 out of 100 at 12 months), with a slight gain in function, at low certainty. The NHS says surgery isn't done just to improve how feet look, recovery takes months, toes may be stiffer or weaker afterwards, and bunions can come back.
Some discomfort during exercise is fine. Aim for pain you would call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10, that settles within an hour, with no more swelling or stiffness the next morning. If it's worse the next day, do a little less (a smaller range, fewer reps, a lighter band), not nothing.
The exceptions: pain in one spot on a bone should be pain-free, because it could be a stress fracture; burning, tingling or numbness means stop that movement; and if your feet are numb, pain won't warn you, so check your skin after exercise.
If pain climbs day after day, or you notice a warning sign, stop and get it checked. The 5 out of 10 figure is an editorial starting point that matches this site's other pain guides, not a tested rule.
Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.
Weeks 0 to 4, daily, seated. The moves follow the Abdalbary trial's programme; its summary gives session numbers, not sets, so doses are editorial or from Arthritis UK's exercise sheet.
Big toe joint self-mobilisationBeginner · A bench or box1 to 2 min, once a day · A gentle glide, not a stretch
Big toe press (seated toe-flexor hold)Beginner · A bench or box10 holds of 5 to 10 s
Harder: Towel toe curl
Short foot + toe splayBeginner · No equipment10 holds of 5 s · The toe-spread part; Arthritis UK's dose
Easier: Towel toe curl · Harder: Peroneals Stretch
3D demoTowel toe curlBeginner · Other / check instructions + A bench or box10 to 20 reps · Toe grip; Arthritis UK's dose
Harder: Short foot + toe splay
3D demoWall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)Beginner · A wall3 holds of 30 s each side
Easier: Seated calf stretch with a towel · Harder: Peroneals Stretch
Move on when: The big toe moves more freely, and walking in roomy shoes is comfortable.
Weeks 4 to 8. Keep the stage 1 toe moves going on most days.
3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall3 sets of 10 to 15 · Push up through the big toe
Easier: Seated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise) · Harder: Standing dumbbell calf raise
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wall3 holds of 30 s each leg · Barefoot
Easier: Tandem stance and heel-to-toe walk · Harder: Single Leg Reach Matrix
Move on when: Calf raises through the big toe and barefoot balance are comfortable.
From week 8.
3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg
Easier: Slow calf raise · Harder: Single-leg pogo hops
3D demoSingle Leg Reach MatrixIntermediate · No equipment3 rounds of 5 each direction
Easier: Standing crossed-leg side reach
3D demoTreadmill walkingBeginner · Cardio machineBuild your walking time · In roomy shoes
Harder: Treadmill jogging
Move on when: Keep the toe moves a few times a week if they help, and wear shoes that fit.
| Habit or position | Why it matters | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| High heels, and tight or pointy shoes | On the NHS list of things to avoid, and mainly wearing high heels through adult life was linked to bunions. | Wide, low-heeled, soft-soled shoes. |
| Expecting toe spacers or correctors to straighten the toe | Splints may ease pain, but any change in the angle is uncertain. | Use them for comfort if they help. |
| Forcing the big toe straight, or hard toe stretches | Pressing the toes back under your body weight loads the bunion joint (editorial): ease in, or skip it. | Gentle big toe mobilisation. |
No. The NHS says you can't get rid of bunions or stop them getting worse yourself. Exercises may ease pain and keep the big toe moving: one small trial of a mobilisation and toe-strength programme improved pain and function.
Maybe for comfort. Splints and spacers eased pain in single studies, but any change in the angle of the toe is uncertain. A podiatrist can suggest one.
The evidence is the same as for splints: they may ease pain, but there's no good evidence that they straighten the toe.
No trial of them for bunions was found. A roomy toe box fits the NHS advice on shoes; if you try minimalist shoes, change slowly, as runners who switched to them had more injuries.
When the pain affects your daily life despite shoes and self-care, not for looks. Surgery may reduce pain compared with no treatment, but recovery takes months, toes may be stiffer or weaker, and bunions can come back.
Yes, with care. Bunions become commoner with age (36% of people over 65 have one), and the first stage is done sitting down. Hold a counter for the balance moves.
Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.
