Exercises That Can Help Treat Bunions
You can slow the progress of your bunion if you perform certain exercises regularly. Not only will these exercises slow the progression of the disease, but they will also improve your overall health. This is best paired with other changes in your life, especially in the type of shoes you wear.
Resistance Exercises
Perform resistance exercises with your big toe. Wrap a towel underneath your big toe. Use the towel to lift the big toe upward. While you are doing this, try to push your big toe downward. Then, wrap the towel over the top of your toes and pull your toes away from you. Try to curl your toes against the towel toward the rest of your body.
Stretches
Several stretches can help alleviate bunions, including toe flexing. Push your toes against a hard surface to stretch and flex them. Hold this for a few seconds, release and repeat. Then, use your fingers to move your toes into the proper alignment. Hold your toes in this position for a few seconds and then allow your toes to return to the position that is the most comfortable.
Coordination Exercises
You can stretch your toes and improve coordination by using your toes to pick things up, such as small pebbles, marbles or pencils. Set a bowl up next to your foot, pick up the chosen objects and place the into the bowl using only your toes. A more simple action is to practice picking up a piece of clothing with your toes and then placing it back on the floor. Keep repeating this activity to heal your bunions.
Walking Barefoot
Walking on sand barefoot can help strengthen your toes and will also act as a foot massage. If you have arthritis, you might feel sand is more comfortable to walk on than a hardened surface.
Harmful Exercises
While many forms of exercise can be good for your bunions, other forms of exercise are actually harmful. For example, it is not advised that those with bunion engage in ballet because of how constrictive the shoes are. Only engage in ballet if you can find a way to perform it with looser shoes.
In the end, the only way to correct bunions is to replace your shoes, even though exercises can help speed along your recovery. If you have shoes that are loose, but not loose enough, you can correct this problem with a shoe stretcher. Also, whenever possible you should try to go barefoot or wear very loose socks. While it may take time, eventually you may begin to see an improvement in your bunions. For more information, talk to a podiatrist, like those at Hara Podiatrists Group.