Bunions
Wow! If I only knew then, what I know now, my life-and many of my patients lives would have been better. For reasons unknown, I was not ready to learn about the effects of the myofascial system and foot deformities until I did, beginning in 1995.
Bunions are caused by a combination of deforming forces. Some are from shoes and stockings, and some are from musculoskeletal dysfunctions. I often pondered why the surgical correction I performed was often impeccable, but the results were less than desired. Many times, the bunion and hallux deformity recurred, months after successful surgery! Most often however, surgery did remain successful. So why, were there a percentage of failures?
Now, I’m convinced that there are two or more major factors. #1. Tight Myofascial leg and foot tissues, #2. Twisting and tilting of the pelvis anatomy.
One of my favorite cases is illustrated by the following:
Chuck’s mother, who was a regular patient, asked me if I would see if I could help son’s foot problems. One day she said, “Chuck is studying Nursing and he has feet like mine, and I‘m afraid he will not be able to stand and walk on concrete floors as required during the normal work shift.” When I first saw Chuck he had all of the foot problems his mother had informed me about. He had bunions, hammertoes, and flat feet. He also had the familiar hip and low back pain that many times follows the unstable feet. I introduced him to my foot rehabilitation and Bowen combination, and after the first week he noted marked improvement. After the second week he returned with improved skin color and a sparkle in his eyes which were not there before. His hygiene and dress was also an 180 Deg. turn. He informed me that he had gotten his first “A” in a test after 2 years of nursing school. He told me how he “crammed for exams, and on the day of the test would kind have choke, and thus “Bee’s” were about the best he could do. Also he said, “While I was at my internship last night I was charting patient notes and all of a sudden I seemed to get everything together.” He went on to say,” I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be a very good nurse because even though I could memorize the material and pass the tests, it didn’t make a lot of sense. Now it all has come together.” I finished his treatments, made him orthotics, and told him to come back once in a while for a tune-up.
A few weeks later Mildred brought her mother for an appointment. Mildred’s Mother didn’t speak very fluent English so Mildred told me, “My mother is not eating very well and she has no energy. I know that you are a Foot Doctor, but I want you to give my mother one of those treatments that you do - I go to school with Chuck!” She went on to tell me that about a month ago she noticed a change in Chuck’s demeanor. His entire persona had a new character, and she had to ask him what was going on. When he told her that he was having Bowen Therapy and that is all that was different in his life, Mildred concluded that this was responsible in the change in Chuck’s life.
Following graduation, I heard via the grapevine that Chuck got 100% on his State Board of Nursing exam. He also has a very good job and has received promotions very quickly. Over the next 2 years Chuck’s mother came in every 2 to 3 months for treatment of her corns and calluses. I often asked how Chuck was doing, and she always said that he was, “doing real fine and he was planning to come by for a tune up.” One day, he was with his mother during her treatment and we got to talking. I asked,” How are your feet doing?” He replied, “Great. My feet have zero pain, and my toes are all straight on the left foot. They are getting straighter on the right foot. At the rate they are changing I think they should all be straight by the year’s end.” I looked at his mom’s feet, which were all deformed with hammertoes and bunions. She’d had “corrective foot surgery” by an orthopedist 4 years before. Her toes were straight for a year or so and then began to re-deform. Something is wrong with this picture. She had surgery and her feet remain deformed. He had no surgery, and his feet are straight. Remember, I hadn’t touched this guy for over two years and he’s still unwinding!
Now, I can say without any reservation that one can obtain an 80% good result with foot surgery, or you can obtain an 80% or better good results with conservative treatment. This is my conclusion following many similar cases included in my bunion study, in 2004-2005 (which I decided not to publish).
NON-SURGICAL BUNION PROTOCOL
1. Bowen Therapy, complete sessions including; TMJ, Pelvis, all leg muscles and foot intrinsic muscles, once a week for three weeks. See Bunion Procedure.
2. After each session, tape feet as instructed in my photo series.
Bunion Recleaned Diagram A Bunion Recleaned Diagram B
Arch lock taping on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd8pRsoyYXLy3rPNKgbk6IQ?feature=results_main
3. After 3 to 4 weeks, have orthotics made. Do the impressions right after a fresh tape wrap has been done and obtain orthotics. Or, at least get OTC supports to maintain foot balance. Pro Lab, Super feet, and Spenco might be the best OTC’s. Re-shape and modify as best as possible so they fit flush against the foot which has a fresh taping applied. Spenco ® Orthotics last time I used them, can be heated and re-shaped to fit the contour of the arch.
4. An exercise to do for bunions- Spread the big toe apart from the 2nd toe. Not with your fingers, but using the muscle that is supposed to draw the toe toward the mid-line. After a little practice you will be able to do this and you'll feel the Abductor Hallucis muscle under the arch tense up. When you're able to do this, push against the toe with the opposite foot as you perform the exercise. Do this isometric exercise as many times a day as you can, for 2 to 3 minutes each time.
5. Grasp your big toe and stretch in the direction away from the restriction. Maintain the traction for at least 5 minutes. Do both big toes to maintain balance.
6. In addition, use toe spacers @ night and, especially when wearing pantyhose.
7. Be patient and wait and see. It may take months to see results.
8. Get Bowen Tune-ups once a month.
BUNION PROCEDURE
Client in prone position
Prerequisites:
Basic Relaxation Procedure 1 - Lower Back
Sacral
Coccyx
Sciatic 1 & 2
Anterior & Posterior pelvis
Long flexors
Long extensors
Ankle
Anterior tibial
Posterior tibial
Make a medial moves (1-2-3) with your thumb over the extensor hallucis longus tendon from the base of the 1st toe to the base of the 1st metatarsal.
Make 2 proximal moves (4) in the first intermetatarsal space.
Make a medial move (5) over the extensor hallucis longus tendon over the proximal phalanx.
Make 2 to 3 proximal to distal moves (6)) across the adductor brevis muscle.
Make a plantar to dorsal move (7) over the abductor hallucis muscle.
Move the hallux in a circular direction while placing a little traction on the joint.
FOR A DIAGRAM SHOWING THE MOVES CONTACT ME AND I'LL SEND BY E-MAIL. [email protected]
During the last two years that I was in podiatry practice I performed two clinical studies. One on Bunions, and the other on neuromuscular pains.
The first was on reduction of bunions and bunion pain. There were 66 patients who entered, complied, and completed the study, which was for a one year treatment period. These were mostly patients who'd come to me wanting surgery, and who thought that surgery was their only option. I only operated on three of them! Two or three may have needed surgery in the future because they still had some occasional pain. All the rest were pain free from one to three weeks on average, and the longest was within three months. All I did for them was adhesive tape for temporary arch support and a Bowen session once a week for four weeks, the exercises outlined, followed by a set of orthotics. Then, I did a Bowen session once a month. All remained pain free while coming once monthly for the remainder of the year. None returned after the study was completed, so I assume that no news is good news.
These bunion deformities all were in the mild to moderate stages. For some strange reason I didn’t see any of the advanced deformities during this time frame?
Interestingly, some deformities improved or resolved, but many did not. There were a few patients who had bilateral bunions and one foot straightened while the other foot did not? Most were pain free and that's what’s important.
For a video on my taping technique: http://youtu.be/5Wxy5bBb0Hg taping
THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. CONTENT MAY BE ADDED DAILY. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:http://www.drmitchellmosher.com
Bunions are caused by a combination of deforming forces. Some are from shoes and stockings, and some are from musculoskeletal dysfunctions. I often pondered why the surgical correction I performed was often impeccable, but the results were less than desired. Many times, the bunion and hallux deformity recurred, months after successful surgery! Most often however, surgery did remain successful. So why, were there a percentage of failures?
Now, I’m convinced that there are two or more major factors. #1. Tight Myofascial leg and foot tissues, #2. Twisting and tilting of the pelvis anatomy.
One of my favorite cases is illustrated by the following:
Chuck’s mother, who was a regular patient, asked me if I would see if I could help son’s foot problems. One day she said, “Chuck is studying Nursing and he has feet like mine, and I‘m afraid he will not be able to stand and walk on concrete floors as required during the normal work shift.” When I first saw Chuck he had all of the foot problems his mother had informed me about. He had bunions, hammertoes, and flat feet. He also had the familiar hip and low back pain that many times follows the unstable feet. I introduced him to my foot rehabilitation and Bowen combination, and after the first week he noted marked improvement. After the second week he returned with improved skin color and a sparkle in his eyes which were not there before. His hygiene and dress was also an 180 Deg. turn. He informed me that he had gotten his first “A” in a test after 2 years of nursing school. He told me how he “crammed for exams, and on the day of the test would kind have choke, and thus “Bee’s” were about the best he could do. Also he said, “While I was at my internship last night I was charting patient notes and all of a sudden I seemed to get everything together.” He went on to say,” I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be a very good nurse because even though I could memorize the material and pass the tests, it didn’t make a lot of sense. Now it all has come together.” I finished his treatments, made him orthotics, and told him to come back once in a while for a tune-up.
A few weeks later Mildred brought her mother for an appointment. Mildred’s Mother didn’t speak very fluent English so Mildred told me, “My mother is not eating very well and she has no energy. I know that you are a Foot Doctor, but I want you to give my mother one of those treatments that you do - I go to school with Chuck!” She went on to tell me that about a month ago she noticed a change in Chuck’s demeanor. His entire persona had a new character, and she had to ask him what was going on. When he told her that he was having Bowen Therapy and that is all that was different in his life, Mildred concluded that this was responsible in the change in Chuck’s life.
Following graduation, I heard via the grapevine that Chuck got 100% on his State Board of Nursing exam. He also has a very good job and has received promotions very quickly. Over the next 2 years Chuck’s mother came in every 2 to 3 months for treatment of her corns and calluses. I often asked how Chuck was doing, and she always said that he was, “doing real fine and he was planning to come by for a tune up.” One day, he was with his mother during her treatment and we got to talking. I asked,” How are your feet doing?” He replied, “Great. My feet have zero pain, and my toes are all straight on the left foot. They are getting straighter on the right foot. At the rate they are changing I think they should all be straight by the year’s end.” I looked at his mom’s feet, which were all deformed with hammertoes and bunions. She’d had “corrective foot surgery” by an orthopedist 4 years before. Her toes were straight for a year or so and then began to re-deform. Something is wrong with this picture. She had surgery and her feet remain deformed. He had no surgery, and his feet are straight. Remember, I hadn’t touched this guy for over two years and he’s still unwinding!
Now, I can say without any reservation that one can obtain an 80% good result with foot surgery, or you can obtain an 80% or better good results with conservative treatment. This is my conclusion following many similar cases included in my bunion study, in 2004-2005 (which I decided not to publish).
NON-SURGICAL BUNION PROTOCOL
1. Bowen Therapy, complete sessions including; TMJ, Pelvis, all leg muscles and foot intrinsic muscles, once a week for three weeks. See Bunion Procedure.
2. After each session, tape feet as instructed in my photo series.
Bunion Recleaned Diagram A Bunion Recleaned Diagram B
Arch lock taping on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd8pRsoyYXLy3rPNKgbk6IQ?feature=results_main
3. After 3 to 4 weeks, have orthotics made. Do the impressions right after a fresh tape wrap has been done and obtain orthotics. Or, at least get OTC supports to maintain foot balance. Pro Lab, Super feet, and Spenco might be the best OTC’s. Re-shape and modify as best as possible so they fit flush against the foot which has a fresh taping applied. Spenco ® Orthotics last time I used them, can be heated and re-shaped to fit the contour of the arch.
4. An exercise to do for bunions- Spread the big toe apart from the 2nd toe. Not with your fingers, but using the muscle that is supposed to draw the toe toward the mid-line. After a little practice you will be able to do this and you'll feel the Abductor Hallucis muscle under the arch tense up. When you're able to do this, push against the toe with the opposite foot as you perform the exercise. Do this isometric exercise as many times a day as you can, for 2 to 3 minutes each time.
5. Grasp your big toe and stretch in the direction away from the restriction. Maintain the traction for at least 5 minutes. Do both big toes to maintain balance.
6. In addition, use toe spacers @ night and, especially when wearing pantyhose.
7. Be patient and wait and see. It may take months to see results.
8. Get Bowen Tune-ups once a month.
BUNION PROCEDURE
Client in prone position
Prerequisites:
Basic Relaxation Procedure 1 - Lower Back
Sacral
Coccyx
Sciatic 1 & 2
Anterior & Posterior pelvis
Long flexors
Long extensors
Ankle
Anterior tibial
Posterior tibial
Make a medial moves (1-2-3) with your thumb over the extensor hallucis longus tendon from the base of the 1st toe to the base of the 1st metatarsal.
Make 2 proximal moves (4) in the first intermetatarsal space.
Make a medial move (5) over the extensor hallucis longus tendon over the proximal phalanx.
Make 2 to 3 proximal to distal moves (6)) across the adductor brevis muscle.
Make a plantar to dorsal move (7) over the abductor hallucis muscle.
Move the hallux in a circular direction while placing a little traction on the joint.
FOR A DIAGRAM SHOWING THE MOVES CONTACT ME AND I'LL SEND BY E-MAIL. [email protected]
During the last two years that I was in podiatry practice I performed two clinical studies. One on Bunions, and the other on neuromuscular pains.
The first was on reduction of bunions and bunion pain. There were 66 patients who entered, complied, and completed the study, which was for a one year treatment period. These were mostly patients who'd come to me wanting surgery, and who thought that surgery was their only option. I only operated on three of them! Two or three may have needed surgery in the future because they still had some occasional pain. All the rest were pain free from one to three weeks on average, and the longest was within three months. All I did for them was adhesive tape for temporary arch support and a Bowen session once a week for four weeks, the exercises outlined, followed by a set of orthotics. Then, I did a Bowen session once a month. All remained pain free while coming once monthly for the remainder of the year. None returned after the study was completed, so I assume that no news is good news.
These bunion deformities all were in the mild to moderate stages. For some strange reason I didn’t see any of the advanced deformities during this time frame?
Interestingly, some deformities improved or resolved, but many did not. There were a few patients who had bilateral bunions and one foot straightened while the other foot did not? Most were pain free and that's what’s important.
For a video on my taping technique: http://youtu.be/5Wxy5bBb0Hg taping
THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. CONTENT MAY BE ADDED DAILY. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:http://www.drmitchellmosher.com