Causes of Bunion Formation, and How to Prevent Them

This is Tom Biernacki and today we’re talking about the big toe joint.So when your big toe joint buckles out like that and the big toe’s going underneath the second toe, that’s called a bunion.There are some great proven tricks that work for me in clinic.They work great And a lot of the times.We don’t have to do any surgery at all.So I’m gon na tell you why it’s happening and how to keep it away And then we’re going to go over those tricks you can do And then we will talk about whether you need surgery or not, and the types of surgery And we’re starting right now. ( soft music ): This is what does not cause bunion formation.I saw a video: that’s got like 3 million views, saying eat more calcium.That is crazy.There’S zero scientific evidence, saying calcium has anything to do with bunion formation.Bunion formation is a biomechanical dislocation.Number two high heels can exacerbate bunion formation, but they’re not a cause.

Toe Separator socks Can Help Prevent Bunions

It’S not just your shoe gear, but the problem is your shoe gear can make your foot flatten out So when your ankle buckles out that makes your big toe joint land improperly and bend like this?So a bunion right here is: it’s essentially the dislocation of this big toe joint like this.So when it starts to dislocate, you could see that bump’s really sticking out there And these two little bones down here called your sesamoids.They dislocate big toe joint, starts to come underneath the second toe Pretty much all people that I see develop bunions and they have some form of flat foot, So you have to fix your flat foot as you fix your bunion.Sometimes.

Use of sock to fix flat foot – No surgery needed

If you fix your flat foot, your bunion gets better all on its own if there’s no arthritis yet So one thing I like to do and that people can probably evaluate with their bunion is, if the bunion’s dislocated like this So say your bunion’s dislocated like this If I can pop it back straight like this, if it goes straight, that means it’s not arthritic, but if you have grinding and if you have pain.So see, if I take the big toe joint right here and I bend it and it’s grinding, it’s not really.Bending That might mean you have arthritis.If you have arthritis, that might mean you need surgery, But if there is no arthritis – and you still have some movement potentially some of these home remedies and home treatments can be effective.

Wearing Toe Separator socks Can Prevent Bunions

Your ankle is not straight Your ankle, usually buckles in like this, And then your big toe joint gets pushed up like this, So you could see when it flattens your ankle, flattens and then the big toe joint in the foot flatten like this, Your bunion is a Symptom of your foot flattening out your knee buckling in your hip, twisting out your lower back pain.All these things cause bunion pain, High heels and shoes alone do not cause bunions.Theoretically, you could be a very healthy petite woman, with great flexible leg muscles I’ve seen.Ladies wear high heels all the time and never develop a bunion, And the bottom line is the don’t have any of the associated risk factors, But at the same time, somebody with all the risk factors could wear the high heels.So kind of a heavier person with no flexibility with knee arthritis with hip pain.If that person wears the high heels their foot is toast.

Socks Can Cause Toe Separator Bunion

It’S like pouring gasoline on a fire And this toe the ligaments will start to bend and rupture because they’re trying to support your foot weight.What we see in studies are, if you fix the big toe joint with surgery, but the foot keeps flattening out.The ankle keeps flattening out Within about five years, if the person doesn’t fix those underlying problems within about five to 10 years, almost 50 % of people can reoccur.You know that’s a rough estimation, But there’s studies ranging all over the place Depending on the bunion surgery.If you don’t fix the flat foot, the tight knee the tight hip, these can reoccur significantly, So it might even be pointless to fix the bunion unless you fix those underlying issues.So the true causes of bunion formation are, if your ankle’s too tight your foot twists out.

Socks May Cause Toes To Separate

So if your foot is twisting out the big toes landing improperly and it bends it every time you walk.So, you can do that because of a tight hamstring, a tight, lower back hip problems knee problems, all those things might be the cause of your bunion.So how do you diagnose a bunion?Everybody knows you have a big bump, but there’s four major causes.Is it arthritis?Is it a bunion?Is it turf toe?Is it numbness?Is it sesamoiditis Here’S why you want to see your podiatrist?You don’t want to be treating the wrong cause, because all four have different treatments and solutions.Number two, it’s very important to get your biomechanics evaluated.So, if you’re tighter in one calf one hamstring, one knee, that’s the real problem that causes your bunion until eventually your bunion develops arthritis and you do need surgery to fix it.Most people don’t need surgery.If you can fix those underlying problems.

Socks for Toe Separators: How to Choose the Right

But the tough part is, you probably should have a biomechanical expert, evaluate you and see why it’s happening.That’S where a podiatrist could come in And number two you get an X Ray by your pediatrist.So.You can actually see what’s going on.Is it arthritis Is it a bunion, Is it turf toe?Is it numbness?Is it sesamoiditis?Is it those two little bones underneath there Because they all have different treatments, You could also develop a hammer toe So a hammer toe is you could see when your big toe, when your second toe bends like this that’s a hammer toe?So usually the big toe comes underneath the second toe like this And that’s the problem.Things that have worked very well for me in certain circumstances and they can in some cases, reverse people’s bunions.I’Ve seen people come back after a year or two with a completely reversed bunion Number one is your foot’s flattening out.You got to fix your flat foot.The best way to do that is look at that I’M pushing as hard as I can.

How Toe Separator socks can help treat bunion pain

Well, it’s slipping there, but watch this in an orthotic.I can push pretty hard.It maintains the arch But watch this look at how easily it flattens out on a flat surface But watch this.An orthotic basically maintains the bones properly, So your foot does not flatten out Look at when your ankles bent out like this, you land on the inside of your big toe and it bends up and in When your foot is straight.The big toe cannot bend.So you can see that’s a pretty straight big toe there, But when the foot, bends and flattens out the big toe bends in A great orthotic with a groove for your big toe joint and a stable heel, is the single most effective thing.When people wear a good orthotic over time with good shoes, this is when I’ve seen over a year or two, the bunion pain, get better Number two.You want a really good shoe, So the main thing is is: when I take this in here for a lot of people, I can feel the bunion right there.So.

Mesh sock fix: Get it in the right spot to fix painful toe

What happens is I can feel that bump right there and there’s no stitches.It’S all soft mesh, the big toe joint rubs against that part of the shoe The important part is, you still have a little bit of a bump, but it’s no longer a rubbing against hard stitching.Like in a dress, shoe stitching in that wrong, spot can rub against your big toe joint And that can cause crippling pain, That crippling pain could be causing all your pain.So.Simply getting mesh in the right spot can fix it, But there’s more getting back to the flat foot portion.You need a stiff back, a stiff, sole and a bendable front, So that bendable front, plus the mesh in the right spot, plus a good orthotic like this look at this.It’S not collapsing, It doesn’t collapse.Your ankle’s straight, your knee’s straighter, your big toe, joint’s straighter.It has mesh in the right spot.

Toe Separator socks Help with Pain and Discomfort

That right there doing those two things, people feel significantly better right away And there was more don’t worry.So, it’s not just the orthotic and shoe because I know those can be expensive options for people.I know you want the splints and the gel pads and the correctors Injections does an injection work for a big toe joint I wouldn’t recommend it for a bunion, maybe for crippling arthritis like hallux rigidus.It would be a good option, But generally I haven’t found a lot of permanent relief unless it’s somebody with like crippling pain that needs to get through vacation for a couple of days, possibly So.The next thing is for your bunion check this guy out right here.That’S the gel pad right there So putting that gel pad on your big toe joint right there that will cushion it So inside the shoe you’ve already got the good orthotic.

Sock with Gel Pad Protects Toes Well

The good shoe that gel pad protects it very well.You could see, there’s a lot of different brands That first one was even more protective than this one, but this holds the toe a bit better’cause.It has that spacer in the middle, and then it prevents the rubbing on the inside See these gel pads.I can put on the big toe the gel pad.I’M not a huge fan of those That’S more tip of the big toe problems, The bunion splint at night.It feels good while you wear it, But the real problem is, you could stretch it all night long for eight hours, but then for 12 hours, the next day, you’re walking and your foot’s flattening out and your big toe joint’s bending back this way.So one pound of force with like a little splint, is it going to counteract your body weight over tens of thousands of steps during the day It won’t?And unfortunately this has been studied.There’S no real results.

Socks to Keep toes from Separating

The only real way I could see this working is if somebody is in a nursing home and they don’t really walk and they wear that pretty much all the time your toe will be straight.But.The second, you start walking away again and your ankle buckles out that big toe’s going to buckle out again and dislocate Bunion socks.I actually love the bunion socks, So the bunion socks are like little mittens for each finger, but they go on to the big toe joint, the second toe third toe, fourth toe fifth toe individually.And they can sometimes have that gel pad built into the big toe joint.Do they last forever?No, but for people who are runners joggers, these can work really well And then you could even put the gel pad on over the sock.So these work well for the big toe joint and for the fifth toe joint, the tailor’s bunion And so I’m a big fan If you’re a runner wearing bunion socks and putting even a stronger sleeve over the bunion socks that works really well.

Sock Solution for Toe Separators

I’Ve had a lot of people have success, But the problem is the correctors, the splints, the gel pads they cushion you.And.It’S almost like, you have a bad habit, and this is just letting you get away with more until you eventually crash completely So the problem is with creams, with anti-inflammatories, with gel pads, with all that kind of stuff they’re more symptomatic.They make you feel better without really correcting the underlying problem, And then the bunion just keeps getting worse until you do develop arthritis.If you’re gon na fix it.I highly recommend the orthotic the shoes And then, if you need more to get through a workday, that’s when the gel splints, the protectors and the socks come through.And that can help for, like marathons and long runs.If you only get inflamed towards the end of your run..