Relieving bunion pain

A bunion (halux valgus) is a deformity of the great toe, where the metatarsaophalangeal joint protrudes laterally, and the head of the great toe turns inward toward the other toes, sometime crossing over or under the 2nd toe.  The bursal sac of the joint becomes swollen and often quite painful.  Bunions can be caused from wearing shoes that do not fit properly.  Genetics is also thought to be another probable cause.
There are some very effective ways to alleviate the pain, and even correct bunions.

I can speak from personal experience the effectiveness of stretching and reflexing the tendons and muscles that are connected to bunions.  I used to have a lot of pain from a bunion on my right great toe.  The pain would even shoot up my leg, and I’d have difficulty sleeping sometimes.
The main tendons I focused on stretching are the Flexor Hallucis Longus,  Abductor Hallucis Longus, and Extensor Hallucis Longus.  These surrounding tendons were tight, causing the toe to deviate even more.

Here’s what I did:
I soaked my feet in a basin of epsom salts for about 20 minutes.  Then I stretched my achilles tendon.   I ran the lateral side of my thumb along each of those tendons several times, while flexing my foot by pulling it with my opposite hand.  I did these stretches for about 10 minutes, a few times a day for a number of weeks.  The pain eventually went away, and my toe began to straighten out.  Now, I see only a very slight protrusion of the joint, and I have no pain at all.

Wearing shoes that give plenty of space for your toes to lay flat, using orthotics or protective padding along the protruding bone, as well as seeing a trained reflexologist can be very helpful, and in many cases prevent surgery.