Bunion & Hammer Toe Treatment
Bunion and Hammer Toe Preventative Treatment
Huntington Beach CA – P3 Sports Care
How many women have foot issues after wearing high heels and other “cute” shoes year after year? How many of your doctors have told you to never wear your favorite shoes again?
Believe it or not you are not alone. This same situation happens to many people, and not just women. Luckily there are more, less invasive treatment options than in the past. Let’s first understand more about Bunions and Hammer Toes…
How do I know if I have Bunions and Hammer Toes?
Bunions actually occur over a long period of time but a good indicator of the start of the condition is a deviation of the big toe towards the other smaller ones. The actual Bunion itself is the hard bony growth on the inside of the base of the big toe.
Hammer Toes are also known as “clawed toes” or “mallet toes.” They will appear to be deformed and the tips will start to point towards the ground. The joints of the toes will also start become fixed in the flexed position.
What are Bunions and Hammer Toes?
Bunions are actually a bony growth on the medial side of the base of the first metatarsal.
Hammer Toes are the existence of “clawing” of any of the 2nd through 5th toes.
How do you develop Bunions and Hammer Toes?
Although the root cause of these foot/ toe issues has not been pinned down to a definitive answer there are a few theories out there:
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Age
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Genetics
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Small/ Tight Shoes
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High activity Level
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Prior Structure of the foot (Flat Feet etc)
What are some common treatments for Bunions and Hammer Toes?
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Changing footwear (wide toe box and minimal sloping)
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Orthotics
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Ice
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Anti-Inflammatory Medications
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Injections
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Surgery
How does P3 Sports Care treat Bunions and Hammer Toes?
First off, you need to look at your feet. Any approach you take you need to make sure you do not start treatment to late. As stated before both Bunions and Hammer Toes occur over a long period of time.
Next its important to know the P3 Sports Care philosophy is a little different than most healthcare facilities. We believe the root problem in many cases is in fact smaller shoes and poor biomechanics of the foot. However, the true preventative solution lies within treatment of the muscles of the foot and calf.
Here’s how we think happens (assuming it is not heredity, as in some cases)
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Small shoes or poor foot mechanics are present
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Small muscles of the foot attaching to the problematic toes become shortened (these also reside in the calf)
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Shorten muscles are “unhealthy” and become shorter
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Short/ tight muscles pull the toes in the wrong positions, causing fixations of the joints as well.
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Chronic misaligment of the toes creates the need for stability in the joint
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The body addresses this need by laying down more bone
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You stop wearing nice shoes
At P3 Sports Care we focus on a systematic approach to improving the health of the problematic muscle and give instructions for prevention of re-injury.
- Remove scar tissue from the problematic tissue using Active Release Techniques® (ART®) – “Gold Standard of Soft Tissue Care”
- Provide safe, yet effective exercises
- Find the “silent” root cause and give neurological re-education exercises for correction – In cases of an overuse injury
P3 Sports Care provides “Hands-on” treatment, which has been proven to be effective more times than not… so give it a try! You have nothing to lose but time.
Contact Us HERE
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P3 Sports Care, previously Orange County Pain Management, has been serving Southern California for over 5 years. Although many of our patients live right in the city of Huntington Beach, many of them will come from a great distance to receive our Active Release Techniques®, Chiropractic Care, and Rehabilitation. Our customer service is second to none; our patients always come first. Even patients who are afraid of going to a chiropractor love our style of care.
Serving the cities of Orange, Irvine, Villa Park, Mission Viejo, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Anaheim, Placentia, Yorba Linda, Costa Mesa, Stanton, Westminster, Buena Park, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Seal Beach, Long Beach, Sunset Beach, Fullerton, Brea, Laguna Hills, Tustin, and Huntington Beach.
Check out our other articles and information on Active Release Techniques® and Injury Prevention Assessments to see if it can help you or any of your loved ones get out of pain and prevent new injuries.
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