Take good care of your feet when roller skating. Many people wonder if it is safe to skate with bunions. Bunions are painful and it is even more painful skating on them. While going roller skating is up to you, it is necessary to learn about safety tips. Here are tips on how to prevent bunions. Skate with purpose, but most importantly, skate with safety.
What are Bunions?
I guess we’ll start this article by explaining a little about bunions. Bunions are a bony bump that forms on the tip of the big toe of your foot. Bunions form cause the toe to move out of place with the foot.
Can Anything be Done with Bunions?
Bunions are generic. They develop slowly. Pain is never easy to deal with. One method of getting rid of pain and inflammation is to take extra strength ibuprofen every day. Keep a bottle of ibuprofen around with you in order to avoid the pain.
Pain is not an okay feeling to live with if it is going to bother you. Avoid any discomfort, that is the best advice we can give. Get rid of the inflammation as soon as you can.
How to Prevent Bunions?
- Look out for Your Feet
Keep track of the health of your feet as they develop. I bunions run in your family, then it is crucial to look out for your feet.
- Exercise
Exercise is important for everybody. Exercising the feet can help strengthen them. Learn to pick up small objects, like a pencil or pebble, with your toes. In order to roller skate, you need to have strong toes so you won’t have any discomfort.
- Wear Proper Shoes
Never wear a shoe or a roller skate that is only going to cause discomfort. Wear shoes that fit correctly and don’t cramp or pinch your toes. Women should avoid footwear with high heels or pointed toes.
Wear Proper Footwear
Visit your doctor to get better intel on whether you should skate on bunions. Doctors have all the right advice. They will also share what kind of roller skate that you should look out for in the process.
The most important thing that anyone can do is to keep their feet happy and prevent bunions. Wear proper footwear. The best shoes for healthy feet are loose on your foot, have a wide toe box, good arch support, and heels that are less than 1 to 2 inches.
Buy a Cushion
To avoid your feet scratching against the skates, buy a cushion. This is a good question to ask dancers out there. Dancers are always trying out different pairs of shoes. Dancing and roller skating are the same technique.
Try out a combination of dancer’s pads and corn cushions. These will secure your feet in place in the roller skates. And they will offload the pressure in some areas. The painful area of the foot should not be touching the skate, but rather empty space.
Blister Pads and Insoles
There’s a chance that you will be able to use blister pads. Blister pads have similar material to pad the inside of your current skates to make them more comfortable. However, you might be forced down the route of getting a custom boot.
Another insole to try out is Superfeet Yellow insoles. They are made for hockey. The insole may help your foot from slipping within the roller skate. Insoles have the best arch support that you are looking for. Part of the problem with a bunion is due to flexible and collapsed arches.
Bunion Splints
Bunions splints space out the toes while in use. It varies for some but it will provide slight relief for the pain you are feeling. Make any decision that is best for your foot. However, here is some advice that you should know about bunion splints. Your toes do not remain apart after taking away the bunion splints. Surgery can help, but again, results vary to all who have a different range of feet.
What They Do
- Maintains correction while tendons, ligaments, and bones are healing
- Stretch out the tendons and ligaments
- Help break apart scar tissue
- Range with the motion of the foot
Ways to Lace the Skates
Lacing is everything. Skates should not be too tight. Or too loose. They should be just right. Try out different lacing techniques. One technique that has worked for some skaters is to thread the lace-up one or two eyelets at a time. Skip a hole and do a crisscross along the rest of the skate.
You can lace up your roller skates in different ways for the benefits of your feet. That’s great news to hear. Most feet are not perfectly shaped. Therefore there is more than one way to lace your skates to alleviate a variety of situations.
Buy the Right Skates
All skaters should buy the right skates. Don’t by skates that are only going to hurt your feet. Skating should be a comfortable and fun experience. Did you know that you could get boots that are custom-fitted to your feet? Well, you can! Albeit, it is expensive to do this but anything is better than the dreaded pain.
Roller Skates for bunions can be hard to find. The tighter your roller skates, the more pressure you will have on your bunion which will aggravate their bursa causing horrible pain.
Buy Skates With
- Large toe boxes: These will comfortably fit bunion feet
- Molded Foot Beds
- Fairly large roller skates
- Outsole with a pump: help refrain stress and irritation on the bunion
Advice About the Right Skates
There is a lot that you need to know about buying the right skates. Because many people have problematic feet, there is a boot that fits everyone. Skates can be heavy, we’ll say that. Even if you have a light plate once you add wheels, bearings and boot roller skates can add a couple of pounds to each foot. It is very necessary to get used to skates prior to going out on a big adventure.
Vinyl boots will not stretch using the heat technique. Only leather does that. Shoehorns stretch out specific parts of the shoes. You can find these on Amazon.
Formation of the Toes
Keeping your toes in a position is everything. Tight and pointy-toe boxes are a key component in bunion formation. The key to obtaining a roller skate for a bunion sufferer is that you need an ice skate with a wide and large toe box.
One tip roller skaters might want to contemplate is wearing a bunion splint when you go on your roller skating adventures. It will hold your toe straight and shield your toe from rubbing against the skate creating pain and discomfort.
How to Safely Roller Skate
Normally, people can get surgery to correct the bunions, but you don’t have to. Here’s how to treat bunions without surgery. Safety is key.
- Maintain a healthy weight
One reason why people have a hard time skating is due to weight fluctuation. In order to skate, maintain a healthy weight. Those who have complained about back problems or problems with their feet, and note their weight. Keep a steady weight to keep pressure off your feet and back.
- Protect the Bunion
Protect the bunion with a moleskin or gel-filled pads. Wear them in the skate on the sides that are rough. You can easily find these at a drugstore in your town.
- Shoe Inserts
Use shoe inserts to help position the foot better. For skaters, these shoes have a very different formation on your foot. These can be over-the-counter foot supports or prescription orthotic devices.
- Wearing a Splint
Under the guidance of a doctor, wear a splint at night to hold the toe straight and ease the pain. Place a stint on the inside on your roller skate. It may not be the best comfort, but you will find that it will put an end to some of the pain that you feel.
- Take ibuprofen
Before and after roller skating, you should note the pain that you are in. Always have a bottle of ibuprofen on hand. Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.
- Always Wear Socks
Never go skating without socks. Trust us, you don’t have to go skating without socks. Especially with bunions. Use socks like warm soaks, ice packs, Whirlpool, ultrasound, and massage.
- Buy Well-Fitted Footwear
Get well-fitting footwear that’s wide in the toe space. Shop at a store where the employees measure your foot and can fit you with an appropriate shoe.
Advice to Roller Skates
Take good care of your feet throughout your childhood and adulthood. Mostly, your early adulthood. Having to deal with foot problems later life is never fun and gets in the way. Use all these preventions while roller skating.
Should I skate with bunions? That is the question, indeed. You should know that skates shoes have something to do with the discomfort of bunions.
