Exercises for the big toe bunion

The effectiveness of physical exercise in the prevention of Hallus Valgus/Hallus Valgus.

To prevent the development of hallux valgus, orthopedists recommend a number of physical exercises as an effective method of preventing the disease and getting rid of pathology in the early stages of development. Gymnastics for the prevention and treatment of hallux valgus in the early stages is aimed at achieving the following results:

increasing muscle tone and strengthening ligaments;
increased joint mobility;
reduction of pain during movement;
returning a crooked joint to its natural position.

Rules and principles of performing exercises for hallux valgus deformity

Gymnastic exercises for a bunion on the big toe are a very effective way to combat hallux valgus at the first stage of pathology development in the postoperative recovery period.

To increase the effectiveness of therapeutic exercises, you should follow all the doctor’s recommendations regarding the frequency, technique, and time of performing the exercises. However, there are principles and rules for performing therapeutic exercises that apply to any individual exercise program:

Systematicity and regularity - exercises should be performed every day. At the same time, most experts believe that gymnastics should be done twice a day to achieve the maximum therapeutic effect;
Strict adherence to the number of approaches recommended by the orthopedist;
Do the exercises at a time convenient for you - you should not exercise when you are in a hurry somewhere, concentrated on something else, etc.;
A light foot massage before starting gymnastics will help increase the effectiveness of the exercises;
Control the degree of load - if the exercises are very easy, then increase the number of approaches or consult a doctor about ways to complicate the gymnastics.

Correct and regular implementation of a therapeutic set of exercises will allow you to notice a positive result within a week: reduction of bones, reduction of pain, strengthening of muscles and ligaments.

Causes of pathology

Before figuring out how to effectively remove overgrown bunions without surgery, you need to find out what causes them to appear.

The causes of bunions can be narrow high-heeled shoes, tight shoes with improper instep

The most common cause of a protruding bone is prolonged exposure to uncomfortable shoes. These could be narrow high-heeled shoes, tight boots with the wrong instep. The main reason in this case is the incorrect placement of the foot in the shoe.

Other reasons include:

genetic predisposition. It is impossible to say with certainty that if your ancestors had a “bump” on their leg, then you will definitely have one too. But you must understand that you are at risk;
damage to the joint or ligaments of the foot as a result of injury;
flat feet, especially grades 2 and 3;
excess body weight;
malnutrition.

A protruding bone growth not only creates discomfort: shoes rub it, causing inflammation and pain. As soon as these symptoms appear, you need to hurry to a medical facility for consultation with specialists. After all, it is known that treatment at the initial stage of the disease guarantees a successful outcome. You should not delay this, because then it is unlikely that you will be able to remove the bunions without surgery.

The most common cause of a protruding bone is prolonged exposure to uncomfortable shoes.

Effective gymnastics for hallux valgus

Before starting therapeutic exercises, experts recommend a general warm-up for 10-15 minutes. Next, we move directly to the set of gymnastic exercises developed by the doctor for the bunion.

The exercise plan is developed individually, and we suggest familiarizing yourself with the most popular, easy and effective exercises for hallux valgus in medical practice:

A lump is a small and light object (a crumpled sheet of paper, a matchbox, a lighter, etc.) that should be taken with your toes and placed in your hand, on a chair or any other object of similar height. This exercise is aimed at increasing joint mobility;
Alphabet - to begin with, you should lie comfortably on the floor or a hard sofa. Next, we raise our leg and begin to draw letters with our fingertips. At first, the number of letters may be small (5-6), then you need to add at least one letter per day so that you can easily write out the entire alphabet in one go. This exercise strengthens ligaments and relieves hypertonicity in the muscles;
Bottle – roll a full bottle using your foot and fingers for 2-3 minutes. Also, instead of a bottle, you can use any other object of a similar shape, for example, a rolling pin. This exercise develops finger motor skills and joint flexibility;
Walking – you should walk alternately, first on your heels, then on your toes. You can also perform this exercise using the inner and outer surface of the foot. This exercise is very simple to perform, but effectively normalizes muscle tone;
Caterpillar – This exercise is performed while sitting with your knees together. Having taken the starting position, begin to move your feet only with the help of your toes. To move forward, stretch your fingers as if grasping uneven floors. To reverse the movement, press your toes tightly against the foot and push off the floor with them. The “caterpillar” exercise helps develop joints and strengthen ligaments;
Fist – starting position: feet and knees together, and the exercise can be performed both standing and sitting. Bend your toes as if into a fist until tension appears in your feet, hold the achieved effect for 3-5 seconds, and relax. Similar actions with your fingers can be performed in the other direction, that is, against the movement of the joints. Tension arises, but in completely different muscle groups. This exercise and its variations can improve muscle tone and increase joint mobility;
Bicycle – performed using the standard technique (lying position, legs raised above the floor by 45 degrees, performing circular movements), and we pay special attention to the feet. So, when moving “away from you,” we pull the toe forward as much as possible. Moving towards ourselves, we try to point the toe in the opposite direction. This exercise is effective for strengthening ligaments and muscles, developing joints;
We write with our feet - performed while standing, alternately for each leg. Standing on one foot, with the toes of your other foot, you hold a pencil, pen or marker, and on a piece of paper write numbers, usually from 1 to 10, putting a period after each number. This exercise allows you to warm up your joints, strengthens the muscles of your feet and legs, and improves coordination;
Ironing the fabric - you will need a piece of fabric or a kitchen towel. Lay the fabric in front of you and use your toes to create as many folds as possible on it, and then try to smooth them out. You can also grab the fabric and lift it up and then lower it (similar to the wad exercise). This activity trains muscles and joints.
Pinch - following the example of the “clump” exercise, we try to quickly grab small objects with our toes and quickly put them in their original place. The “pinch” and “clump” exercises can be performed alternately, which will not only develop the finger joints, but also improve coordination in general.

Walking barefoot is also considered an effective method for preventing and treating bunions. Barefoot walks should be on uneven surfaces; the sea or river coast, where there is a lot of sand, shells and small pebbles, is ideal for this purpose.

You can prepare a similar surface in your own dacha - form a small path of sand or cereal on the ground and walk in small steps. This exercise will not only reduce the intensity of hallux valgus symptoms, but will also relieve the feeling of fatigue in the legs by massaging the feet.

The simplest, but no less effective, exercises for the formation of hallux valgus are considered to be flexion and extension of the fingers, stretching them upward alternately, walking on the toes, rolling from toe to heel, jumping with push-off, spreading the fingers, etc.

Simple physical exercises are quickly mastered by a person, so you should periodically complicate your task and add more complex exercises to the gymnastics complex, which your doctor will tell you about during your next consultation.

Such simple gymnastics for 10-15 minutes daily will help you quickly get rid of hallux valgus in a short time without painful consequences or surgical interventions. At the same time, therapeutic exercises not only allow you to get rid of bumps on the toes, but also effectively relieve fatigue, help correct minor defects in the structure of the foot, and are useful for the prevention of other orthopedic pathologies.

Causes of pain in a bone in the leg

Most chronic foot diseases are caused by mechanical imbalances. The innate position of the bones is designed for their proper use and loading. Diseases, overload, and incorrect shoes adversely affect the position of the foot and lead to pathologies.

Excessive pronation, that is, “rolling” the entire foot inward, overloads the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Over time, a “bone” or “bump” grows there - the body’s attempt to increase the area of contact of the joint with the surface. Pronation also changes the condition of the ankles: the inner ligaments are stretched and the outer ones are compressed.

The appearance of pain in the area of the styloid process of the metatarsal bone along the outer edge of the foot is an indicator of overload of the lower leg muscles. The condition is characteristic of hypopronation or supination - “rolling” the foot outward. If the position of the foot is not corrected in time, the bony protrusion may even come off due to awkward movement or constant microtrauma.

Effective Treatments

The basis for treating problems with protruding bunions is correcting the position of the foot to reduce the load on its individual areas. There are active and passive correction. Active includes improving muscle function through exercises, passive includes any orthopedic devices to change position or eliminate symptoms. According to reviews from patients and clients, the following help best:

Exercises on a balance pad. Strengthen the muscles of the lower leg and foot, improve blood circulation and tone for any foot problems. An indispensable method of active correction.
Walking on orthopedic mats. Stimulates the active points of the feet, engages proprioception - the correct sense of the position of body parts.
Wearing orthopedic insoles. Factory insoles are useful for prevention, and individually made insoles are useful for treatment.
For pain at the base of the first toe, valgus splints are indispensable, and in the ankles - special ankle braces. For many problems, special products have been developed that are very effective when selected correctly.
Massagers act directly on pain. Mats and rollers with needles, embossed papillae, and protrusions stimulate mechanoreceptors and block the conduction of pain impulses.

You can solve the problem of pain in the bones at Medtechnika Orthosalon. After consulting your doctor, our consultants will select the most appropriate solution, taking into account the doctor’s recommendations, the characteristics of the problem and the condition of the legs. Each salon has foot analysis equipment and a full range of effective medical products.

With us you can also use the service of individual custom-made insoles:

Help from Garant Clinic specialists

Therapeutic exercises are a fairly effective way to combat a bunion on the toe in the first stages of the formation of pathology, but in the second and third stages of the disease, physical exercise will not help. In such a situation, surgical intervention is necessary.

Modern medical practice performs operations to remove hallux valgus using laser technology. Qualified specialists will quickly, carefully and painlessly get rid of bunions using modern medical equipment. Only specialists of the highest category operate modern devices for laser surgery, and the procedure itself is absolutely painless and does not require specific training.

Removing bunions is an innovative technology that has many advantages: no need for general anesthesia, minimal incisions and blood loss, excellent results from an aesthetic point of view. Another advantage of the method is the short rehabilitation period, during which our specialists will also monitor and support the patient.

Will I be able to wear high heels after bunion surgery?

After the rehabilitation period is over, you will be able to occasionally wear high-heeled shoes. It is not recommended to do this on an ongoing basis due to excessive load on the forefoot, which can lead to relapse of the deformity and progression of arthrosis of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint. It is a bad idea to perform surgery on a bunion for cosmetic reasons, since if there was no pain before the operation, then it may appear as a result of scarring in the intervention area after the operation. Wearing high-heeled shoes and shoes with a narrow toe increases the risk of recurrence of the deformity in the future.