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Kettlebell My Brett Jones Excellent Rehab and Bunion Adventure

Denys Carthusian

Denys Carthusian

Level 5 Valued Member
Well, I took Brett Jones's advice and got an FMS screen. The search for a great screener lead me to an athletic therapist who is continuing their schooling in one of the big 3 (chiro, pt or osteo). I won't reveal which so as not to obscure the findings. As well I've found a massage therapist, acupuncturist trained in TCM and am hunting around for a different chiropractor (my current one is retiring and the fellow I thought would make a could er, good replacement, isn't).

I went back to my old chiro today and while fixing a surprising problem on my "good side" which is my left side on my big toe/metatarsal and referred to it as "more bunion like" than the right side. To which I thought "oh no".

So, I'm starting to thread to ask what, if any, solutions you are aware of short of surgery for nipping a bunion in the bud so to speak. At one time I remember researching the issue but that was likely 2016 and my aging brain can't remember what, if any, conclusions I came to. The podiatrist solution locally is abysmal, so while I appreciate podiatry suggestions, I suspect that will involve travel to find a decent one.

I should note that while I was frustrated with the therapist's initial advice to drop kettlebells for the short term, it was likely the right call, and I hope to be climbing back into at least S&S if not Iron Cardio or Team Neupert shortly. And kudos to Brett Jones for using the mantra "get a screen" so consistently. This time, I finally put in the leg work to really get someone who wants to get to the bottom of things.
 
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I've never had bunions, but I'm pretty active in my pursuit of foot health.

I do foot stretches, foot strengthening exercises, and go shoeless / sockless for 18 hours a day.

The downside is that now I have really wide feet that don't fit well into normal shoes anymore, so I have to wear 'natural' footwear.
 
knee ability zero exercises from Ben Patrick improved my bunions to some degree over a course of a month. Daily I do: big toe stretch by sitting on my heels with toes flexed, tib raises, standing calf raises on a slantboard (aim to go unilateral) and seated calf raises with 32kg kettlebells on my tighs. The last exercise seems to be the most beneficial for me. Another option to stimulate your soleus is to assume a splitsquat-like postion where your rear-leg knee is elevated, hips square and you are performing raises with your front leg on an incline slantboard. Bonus hip flexor stretch-strength
 
Whoever you are seeing, I recommend asking them about your gait. From the taste of biomechanics I know, issues with gait may contribute. The other thing to inquire about is how well your foot moves. By that I mean can it pronate and supinate, both flatten and arch, etc. Each foot has 30 joints…. It’s meant to move :) If part is not, another will move more.

For self education, this guy is THE foot guy, as far as I am concerned.
findingcentre.co.uk

Bunions: A 6-Part Series | Finding Centre

There’s a lot to explore when it comes to bunions. Start learning more about this topic in this 6-part series by Gary Ward!
findingcentre.co.uk findingcentre.co.uk
 
Excellent and glad it is helping.

Speak to your Athletic Therapist and double check ankle mobility/dorsiflexion.

Shoes/footware?
A narrow toe box can shove the toes in/together and facilitate a bunion situation.
 
As others have said key cause of bunions is footwear. Ditch any narrow pointy shoes and go barefoot whenever possible. Work on mobilising the whole foot and toes. The foot collective have lots of stuff around this issue. Using toe spacers can also help over time.
 
My feet are pretty bad on both sides as far as bunions. It runs in my family. For the most part, I ignore it. Other than my bike shoes which cramp my feet for a few hours per week, I go barefoot or wear roomy toe box shoes. My weightlifting shoes are TYR and they are pretty nice. I did get some contraptions recently which stretch the toe back into position and I put those on my feet sometimes, but I have no idea if it's having any effect.
 
Anna C said:
My feet are pretty bad on both sides as far as bunions. It runs in my family. For the most part, I ignore it. Other than my bike shoes which cramp my feet for a few hours per week, I go barefoot or wear roomy toe box shoes. My weightlifting shoes are TYR and they are pretty nice. I did get some contraptions recently which stretch the toe back into position and I put those on my feet sometimes, but I have no idea if it's having any effect.
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I got some gel toe spacers.

No idea if they're doing anything, but they feel kind of "good in a bad way".
 
Brett Jones said:
Excellent and glad it is helping.

Speak to your Athletic Therapist and double check ankle mobility/dorsiflexion.

Shoes/footware?
A narrow toe box can shove the toes in/together and facilitate a bunion situation.
Click to expand...
I've got something I'd like to private message you on so as not to set people's teeth on edge. It might be something that you and Mike Perry can discuss about featuring on your podcast.
 
I suffered with bunions on both big toes around ten years ago. Incredibly painful during a flair up, could hardly walk.
Long story cut short, changed my daily shoes (safety shoes supplied by work!), and a few months later the bunions went. Never suffered since.
 
Denys Carthusian said:
I've got something I'd like to private message you on so as not to set people's teeth on edge. It might be something that you and Mike Perry can discuss about featuring on your podcast.
Click to expand...
Sounds good
 
watchnerd said:
I got some gel toe spacers.

No idea if they're doing anything, but they feel kind of "good in a bad way".
Click to expand...
Are those the "correct toes" spacers that you wear during the day? Or the classic "yoga toes" spacers you wear without shoes?
 
watchnerd said:
The downside is that now I have really wide feet that don't fit well into normal shoes anymore, so I have to wear 'natural' footwear.
Click to expand...
I'd be interested in which brands you've found that you like. I found an Amazon brand, that's been my first foray into "barefoot" footwear, i like them, and wear them with the CorrectToes, but my wife is adamant about my *not* wearing them in public...

watchnerd said:
I got some gel toe spacers.
Click to expand...
I've been using CorrectToes for a few months now, and I agree with you "good in a bad way".
I've tried a couple of alternatives I found on Ebay - just because at $65, the correcttoes are bit pricy, and my wife and i fight over them :) - but, i haven't found anything of really comparable quantity.
 
Anna C said:
I did get some contraptions recently which stretch the toe back into position and I put those on my feet sometimes, but I have no idea if it's having any effect.
Click to expand...
Anna, care to share about the "contraptions"?
I think it takes many many months, of many hours a day, to effect a real change. It took many years for us to develop these issues, so it's not unreasonable to expect that it'll take a really long time to change back.
 
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