Bunions, a common foot deformity, can be influenced by various factors that push the big toe towards the second toe.
If you find yourself battling the same foot condition, it’s crucial to take action now before it’s too late.
Backed by the expertise of North West Foot and Ankle and experienced podiatrists of Correct Toes, we came up with this 6-step bunion exercise that is proven effective for bunion reversal and pain relief.
Step 1: Address the Source of the Problem (footwear matters!)
The foundation for bunion reversal begins with addressing the source of the problem – your footwear. It is crucial to choose shoes that maintain a straight alignment for the big toe, avoiding any unnatural pushing towards the second toe.
Step 2: Get the Toes Back into its Natural Shape
This is where Correct Toes comes into play. By incorporating Correct Toes into your routine, you can encourage the toes to return to their natural toe alignment, reducing the stress on the big toe.
Step 3: Straighten the Hallux (or Big Toe)
The bunion exercise starts with manually straightening the hallux or your big toe. This is achieved by gently pulling the big toe outward into its natural alignment. This action stretches the adductor hallucis muscle, situated between the first and second metatarsals.
Step 4: Massage the Adductor Hallucis
Massaging the adductor hallucis is a technique that can be effective in relieving bunion pain. By identifying your trigger points, you can address both muscle tightness and toe misalignment.
You can watch our video about bunion stretches here.
Step 5: Tractioning the Hallux
To further enhance the bunion exercise reversal process, tractioning the hallux is essential. This involves pulling the big toe away from the first metatarsal.
This can be achieved through manual gripping of the toe or by using a towel or another device to create traction.
Step 6: Exercise Your Toe with Bands
Incorporating bands or stretch exercise devices, such as the melt system, can be highly beneficial. These tools aid in pulling both big toes away from the second toe, promoting proper alignment and reducing pain.
By combining these six steps, you can effectively decrease bunion pain and improve the alignment of your big toe. Consistency and dedication to these bunion exercises are key to achieving positive results in bunion reversal.
Remember to consult with your podiatrist for personalized advice based on your specific foot condition.
Transcript
Hi we’re going to discuss strategies for bunion reversal bunion deformity can be influenced by anything that pushes the big toe towards the second toe.
Here are the strategies that North West Foot and ankle and Correct Toes use for bunion reversal.
- First address the source of the problem with our Footwear we need to look for shoes that are straight with the big toe in natural alignment not pushed towards the second toe
- Second we’re going to add toes back into natural placement with the use of Correct Toes
- Third we’re going to manually straighten the hallux or big toe by pulling the big toe into the natural alignment stretching the muscle that’s controlling the toe which is called the adductor hallucis the adductor sits between the first and the second metatarsals
- Fourth we can massage the adductor hallucis you may have seen this in other videos called our bunion stretch massaging this muscle you might find a trigger point that can be responsible for both bunion pain and the misalignment of the big toe
- Fifth we’re going to work on tractioning the hallux this means pulling the big toe away from the first metatarsal this can be done by either gripping the big toe or sometimes even wrapping the big toe in a towel or using some other device to get a grip on the big toe to pull it away and then
- Sixth you can use bands or other kinds of stretch exercise devices we’re going to use the melt system here today to pull both big toes away from the second toe and into proper alignment
Combined these steps will decrease your pain and increase the alignment of the big toe.
