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Bunions are something very new to me as I never thought there was a chance of me getting them at the age of 23. Then I started to go online and search for the symptoms I was experiencing and sure enough…. bunions.
Some of those symptoms included pain on the big toe joint, unable to push off of big toe because of the pain, and normal shoes becoming too tight and cramped for my feet to be in. This was becoming more noticeable as the bony part of my big toe joint seemed to be growing bigger than on the other foot.
If you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ll probably know that I have been suffering from long-term plantar fasciitis as well and luckily for me, this is all happening on the same foot. So my inability to use my big toe has really hindered the recovery process and is also not allowing me to build a stronger arch on that foot.
The big toe is essential in maintaining a strong, upright foot arch as its responsible for the majority of the flexing of the arch that happens. So I’ve been in a tight spot for a while now. But at least I have identified what the issues are and realized that they are separate issues that affect each other’s progress.
I had to act pretty quickly once the pain started getting worse. Wearing my usual Converse shoes was no longer something I could do for more than an hour, especially because at the time I had arch inserts in my shoes too making it even tighter. So I managed to find a few solutions that lessened my symptoms dramatically.
I needed something that gave my toes the room to spread out and not push them further inward like most shoes do. I had been pointed in the direction of Birkenstock shoes several times before for a variety of foot problems so I finally gave them a try and wow, I really can’t say enough good things about them. They instantly gave me relief all throughout my foot without having to do anything new.
As I have talked about before, Birkenstocks are great for people with flat feet, plantar fasciitis, heel pain, or over-pronating feet. Now I can certainly add bunions to the list as well! Seemingly every pain point in my feet has been helped by those shoes and that is invaluable for me.
With a wider toe-box, your toes are able to spread out more so there’s no pressure from your shoe pushing on that big toe joint. The stable arch support built in to the shoes also helps you stop over-pronating when you stand and walk, (over-pronation is a major contributor in the development of bunions) putting a lot less pressure on that big toe again.
The overall design of the shoe is so sturdy and well-made that it doesn’t feel hard to push off of your big toes while walking anymore, another huge relief I experienced. The shoes have a little grip platform that sits under the toes so when you walk, your toes grasp that little bar in order to gain traction and push off making it easier on the foot.
The other investment I made was in minimalist shoes. These are shoes that also have a wide toe-box so your toes can spread out and be used to their fullest strength. They also have a zero heel-to-toe drop which means that the heel is not elevated as it is in traditional shoes. This low heel encourages the calf and soleus muscles to stretch out over time so your feet will stop pronating so much.
Many people have feet that pronate too much simply because the ankle and foot don’t have the flexibility to dorsiflex properly, so they mobilize other areas making us pronate more than usual.
They are also incredibly lightweight and have more traction to the ground because they let your toes grip the ground more than regular shoes do. These have also been helpful for me because the shoes have encouraged my big toe to do more work and not just remain still in my shoes while getting weaker.
Since that initial pair of minimalist shoes that I bought, I have done a complete shoe overhaul and gotten rid of all my tight, cramped shoes that I used to wear every day. This has made a world of difference in my everyday life as I now experience less foot cramping, less pain on my big toe joint, and have more strength built up in my feet after only a couple months in these shoes.
My last and most recent investment that I made was in toe spacers or toe separators. For the ladies who are reading this, you may already know about these from pedicures but as it turns out, they have more functions than you think!
Toe spacers are small devices that sit between all your toes and spread them out. They have been cited to relieve pain from bunions, hammertoes, arthritis, plantar fasciitis, cramps, and bone spurs. In many patients, they have also been known to improve circulation, realign deformed joints, and straighten bent toes.
The best part about them is that you wear these while you’re relaxing or even sleeping. The benefits are taking place without you even worrying about it and it feels pretty good to have them on for a while because it’s like a light stretch for your toes after a long day.
I would recommend that at the very least, you switch your everyday shoes out for one of the aforementioned shoes above and pair them with the toe spacers. This is because the toe spacers are going to be more for pain relief than they are a permanent fix.
While using these often could provide major relief and even improve your overall condition, the joint deformity may remain the same. Changing your shoes however, will encourage the toes to spread out naturally over time as there will be less pressure on your toes and toe joints.
Bunions also become more serious when not treated so please take this issue seriously. It’s much better to make the choice to wear better shoes now than to not be able to put your feet into regular shoes if the bony protrusion gets too big and uncomfortable.
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