No sooner did I write a post about the bunion correctors did I get an email asking me what I thought about exercises for bunions? I not a big fan and have a similar view to those I have of bunion correctors.
Think about the force that are creating a bunion. Think about the force that comes from the biomechanics and the forces that come from the shoes. Do you think a bit of muscle strengthening is going to fix that? Unlikely. Yet if you get online and search you see so many touting bunion exercises as the holy grail to cure bunions. You will notice that not one of them can point to a single study or a bit of research that supports their claims.
So does that mean bunion exercises are useless?
Not necessarily. There is no evidence that they can correct bunions and the mechanism by which they could is based on flimsy evidence or nothing, but should you do them?
I have been getting patients for years to do exercises for their bunions, but not in the expectation or hope that will fix them, but in the expectation that they will keep the joint mobile and flexible. That is a good thing. That does tend to help with some of the aches that happen in the joint.
What bunion exercises should you do?
I recommend this one, its a band around the toes and you pull the feet apart – it goes a long way to help the mobility of the joint and that helps the symptoms:
(Image courtesy FootStore.au)