New Tricks for Old Dogs: Working with Bunions

by Baxter

It was my first class with Donald Moyer in the new year, January having flown by and February upon us. I checked in with him before class began and mentioned an unusual aching in the lateral aspect of my left foot that I had been experiencing for about two months. It was not bad enough from preventing me from my normal activities, but I noticed it when turning my left foot out to 90 degrees for many of my standing poses. He gave me some pointers for the day’s practice, and then class began. 

About half way through the class, while we were in Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana), Donald had us slip a strap between our big and second toes, and bring the loose end over the top of the big toe and down to the floor to the inside edge of the toe. He asked us to gently pull the strap to move the big toe medially, so that it lined up more evenly with the first metatarsal, the foot bone just before you get to the toe itself (the toe bones are called phalanges, and the big to has two, the other toes all have three).

In addition to re-aligning these two parts of the foot and toe, the bones of the toe rolled a bit medially on their axis. Donald made an offhand remark about this being beneficial for treating bunions (hallux valgus for you Latin lovers) and then we moved on. But treating bunions! Sweeter words were never spoken. I come from a family of bunion formers, my mom’s mother, my wonderful Grandma Lopresto, had an impressive one on each foot for as long as I could remember. Interestingly, I don’t remember her complaining about them much.

What, you may be asking yourself, is a bunion? Well, a bunion is a condition in which your big toe deviates toward your second toe instead of lining up with your first metatarsal. And although bunions have a genetic component and do tend to run in families, another huge factor is shoes that smash the toes together. While these shoes are often for fashion purposes only, I do teach to one group of students whose shoe wear is all about function and their passion for climbing. And while the shoes these folks wear help keep them on razor thin ledges, they do lots of harm to their impressionable toes and feet.

According to the PubMed Health website, bunions occur more commonly in women and people born with abnormal bones in their feet. Certain kinds of shoe wear, specifically narrow-toed, high-heeled shoes, may also lead to bunion formation. And although it can seem a bit unsightly, it is only when pain develops that most people seek help.

How can you tell if you are developing a bunion? You may begin to see a thickening or actual bump forming where the toe and foot meet on the inner edge of the foot. On the opposite side of the big toe, a red callous may form from the big toe and second toe rubbing on one another. Pain can occur in this joint, aggravated by certain shoes. 

What is the mainstream treatment for bunions? First off, they often tell you to wear different shoes, ones with a low heel and a wide area for the toes. That alone could do the trick. Sometimes special pads can be placed on the bunion or between the big and second toes, and wearing a toe spacer at night can start to influence the alignment of the toes. If that does not work, there are only a mere 100 different surgical approaches to treat bunions. One of my long time students has had both toes operated on, and says it made a huge difference for her, eliminating the pain. However, it has had an effect on her balance.

So, here was Donald offering up a really simple way to affect the toes! A few years back, my colleague and friend JJ Gormley shared her favorite method to get the big toe back on track, which you can do at your desk. With your feet parallel, place a can of your favorite organic goodies between your inner arches and put a veggie rubber band, one of those strong ones, around the big part of your big toes, so they deviate a bit towards the midline between your feet. You can do this for 10-15 minutes a few times a day, and watch for results.

Obviously, if either Donald or JJ’s techniques result in worsening symptoms, stop them right away! But if not, give it a go. And remember, since a lot of the problem stems from being in shoes, yoga itself can go a long way to help the problem, as you are barefoot and you are strengthening and stretching many of the muscles and other structures that can affect the big toes.
 
For more information on yoga and bunions, there is a good article by Doug Keller in Yoga + Living Magazine from 2008 that you can find online. I hope the photos of Donald and JJ’s bunion recommendations are helpful in your home practice.