The anatomical, structural and functional benefits of going barefoot and wearing naturally-shaped shoes are often the emphasis of our education because these tend to be the most immediate and practical. There is, however, another massive benefit to being barefoot and it lies not in your feet but in your head—your brain, to be exact. The … Continue reading How Going Barefoot Affects Your Brain | By Dr. Sam Oltman,...
You have probably heard the saying by Benjamin Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” Prevention is the best approach to achieving good health, but many times when it comes to painful health conditions, we do not implement strategies for prevention. Sometimes, we do not know how to prevent a … Continue reading Hereditary Bunion Myth: Part III of III | By Dr. Ray McClanahan,...
By: Maxine Presto Human-powered adventures fascinate me. In particular, long-distance hiking and long-distance running have allowed me to connect more deeply with myself and the world around me. It is incredibly refreshing and fulfilling to rely on my body, particularly my feet, to take me where I want to go. Earlier this year, I boarded … Continue reading Six Million Footsteps: A thru-hiker’s journey on the Appalachian...
Many people are aware that a transition period is required when switching from conventional, PCECH-style (Pronation Control, Elevated, Cushioned Heel) shoes to naturally shaped shoes. In fact, this is one of the most common topics we hear about from patients and customers. Most people want to know the proper protocol for transitioning to foot-healthy footwear—shoes, … Continue reading How to Transition to Natural...
, and will require surgical correction, permanent arch supports for life, and is prone to recurrence. This is what I was taught, and it is not correct.
Many people believe the hereditary hypothesis, which we disproved in part I and part II, and allow a surgeon to cut through their bones and place plates and screws into their foot. Having performed many bunion operations, I can personally attest to the ongoing problems that many people have after this surgery, even when meticulously performed. The greatest misfortune these people endure is the lack of education regarding how their footwear caused their deformity and will cause a recurrence of their bunion, sometimes in just a few years. It is not uncommon to have one’s bunion “removed” more than once.
A better way to treat most bunions is to understand what caused the bunion and begin reversing or eliminating those factors. As we have carefully outlined in parts I and II, footwear is the primary cause of bunions, so any preventive program must teach people with bunions to choose footwear that is widest at the ends of their toes, based on the Shoe Liner Test™. Secondly, bunion reversal is hastened when a toe separator is used, especially a toe separator that will accommodate greater levels of correction over time – Correct Toes is the best toe separator to accomplish this. Correct Toes should visibly move the big toe away from the second toe. Best results are accomplished when a person with a bunion can wear Correct Toes in natural footwear all day, for all of their activities. Finally, because people with bunions have worn shoes with tapered toe boxes for most of their lives, they have caused an imbalance in many of the small arch muscles in their feet. In the case of bunion deformity, the abductor hallucis muscle becomes overstretched and dysfunctional, and the adductor hallucis muscle becomes shortened and progressively dislocates the big toe (see the video below for further explanation). This requires progressive rehabilitation exercises to correct.
In conclusion, you are likely reading this because you are like most people and have not prevented your bunion from occurring. No problem – you are normal. Don’t feel bad, very few people have been taught how to prevent a bunion.
Here are the steps to bunion reversal, no matter what stage of bunion you have developed:
1). Choose footwear based on Shoe Liner Test. Your footwear MUST be widest at the ends of the toes, or you will not be able to reverse your bunion deformity. Wide shoes are not sufficient, they must be widest at the ENDS of the toes.
2). Wear Correct Toes toe separators and increase correction over time, per product instructions.
3). Perform the bunion stretch and foot strengthening exercises.
4). Respect the need for your body to change over time, as it did as you developed your bunion.
5). Take a picture of your bunion before you begin your reversal program, and progressively over time, to help you observe the subtle corrections.
6). Send us your before and after pictures, which are better than any form of evidence that bunions are reversible without surgery.
In our experience, the only type of bunion that cannot be progressively reversed with this program is when the big toe joint is fused and has no motion. In this situation, surgery might be a good option and then following up with this program, which is also a maintenance program.
Please help us get this information out to your friends and family.
In Health,
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