Monday, March 16, 2009

How to prevent Bunions

There are many factors that can lead to the formation of a bunion. I believe the most significant is Wolf's law which says that bone will grow where ever the most force is applied. In this case an abnormal amount of force is applied to the big toe joint causing the body to react by laying down more bone.

The abnormal force is typically created when the gastroc/soleus (calf muscles) are so tight that the person can't properly bend their ankle (dorsiflex). To make up for the lack of dorsiflexion the body turns the toe out as the foot is planted, which moves the forces of walking over the inside of the big toe rather than spreading the forces out over the rest of the foot.

Proper stretching of the calves and hip in all three planes of motion can help prevent toeing out during walking and thus can help prevent the formation of bunions.

Another simple way to help prevent bunions is to avoid wearing heeled shoes. The higher the heel the worse it is for your feet. High heel shoes place your foot in an unnatural plantar flexed position and places abnormally high stresses on the inside of the big toe.

Dr. Colling can assess the factors described above in addition to many more factors that lead to bunions. Many times bunion pain and progression of bunions can be averted with proper evaluation and treatment.

Cheers!

Kevin Colling, DC