Blisters and bunions can thwart even your best-intentioned spring training efforts. Matthew Werd, D.P.M., a triathlete and podiatrist based in Lakeland, Florida, helps you adjust your shoe-tying technique to ease common foot-related woes. PLUS: Are you wearing the right shoes for your feet? Check out our list of the Best New Running Shoes to find out. 1. BLACK TOENAIL Prevent irritation by lifting the shoe's toe box. Lace the bottom pair of holes as usual, but make the outer section of lace twice as long as it is on the inner side. Bring the shorter piece from the inside through the top hole on the shoe's opposite side. Pull the longer piece up through the next hole on the opposite side. Then bring it down through the hole across from it. Repeat the process with the remaining holes. RELATED: Prevent the 5 Most Common Running Injuries 2. SQUISHED TOES Alleviate pressure by freeing up more room for your feet to move inside your running shoes. As you lace each shoe, skip the bottom pair of holes (the ones nearest to your toes);
instead, start threading the lace at the second pair of holes. Then lace the remaining holes upward toward your ankle, using the same pattern and tightness that you would normally use to securely tie your running shoes. RELATED: The Surprising Way to Run Longer and Faster 3. HEEL BLISTER Make the shoe more snug around your ankle. Lace all of the holes except for the set located closest to your ankle. Thread one end of the lace through the next hole on the same side of the shoe, leaving enough slack in the lace to form a small loop. Repeat the process on the other side of the shoe. Bring each lace through the loop on the opposite side. Pull to tighten, and then tie the shoes as you normally would. More: Active Gear Scout: 2014 Spring Running Shoe Guide Sign up for your next race. Get ACTIVE on the Go Try Tabata workouts with in-app coaching in the world’s first community-based fitness app. 10 Surprising Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight The Best Gym Gear You Can Wear to Work
How to Sleep Like a Pro Athlete 12 Ways to Build Ankle Strength for Top Performance What is Tabata Training? 8 Workouts That Burn the Most Calories The 7 Best Exercises for a Full-Body Workout 10 Worst Cities for an Active LifestyleA bunion is a deformity of the big toe. A bunion is a toe that points at a sideways angle towards your second toe. There is also a characteristic bump on the inner side of the foot. As the bunion becomes more prominent, bunion pain can develop. The medical term for a foot bunion is hallux valgus. Bunions are a result of complex biomechanical changes that occur in your feet. The type of footwear that you wear does cause bunions. We know that foot bunions occur in about 30% of the population of most Western countries but only 3% in Eastern countries. They are seen most commonly in women and become more common as people get older. Tight-fitting shoes are thought to be the main cause of bunions. Shoes such as high heels and shoes with tight toe boxes (eg womens fashion shoes and cowboy
boots) are particularly damaging to the toes. These shoes have a sloping foot bed and a narrow toe box. The slope causes the front of the foot to bear your weight, which encourages your forefoot to widen. Also, the angle pushes your toes into the narrow toe box, causing the toes to become angled and squeezed together. With prolonged wearing of constraining footwear your toes will adapt to the new position and lead to the deformity we know as a foot bunion. Footwear is not the only cause of a bunion. Injuries to the foot can also be a factor in developing a bunion. Poor foot arch control leading to flat feet or foot overpronation does make you biomechanically susceptible to foot bunions. A family history of bunions also increases your likelihood of developing bunions. Many people who have a bunion have a combination of factors that makes them susceptible to having this condition. For example, if you are a women over the age of forty with a family history of bunions, and often wear high-heeled shoes, you would be considered highly
likely to develop a bunion. Pain is the main reason that you seek treatment for bunion. Inflammation it best eased via ice therapy and techniques or exercises that deload the inflammed structures. Your physiotherapist will use an array of treatment tools to reduce your pain and inflammation. These include: ice, electrotherapy, acupuncture, deloading taping techniques, soft tissue massage and orthotics to off-load the bunion. As your pain and inflammation settles, your physiotherapist will turn their attention to restoring your normal toe and foot joint range of motion and muscle Treatment may include joint mobilisation and alignment techniques, massage, muscle and joint stretches, taping, a bunion splint or orthotic. Your physiotherapist is an expert in the techniques that will work best for you. Your foot posture muscles are vital to correct the biomechanics that causing your bunion to deteriorate. Your physiotherapist will assess your foot posture
muscles and prescribe the best exercises for you specific to your needs. PhysioWorks has developed a Foot Posture Correction Program to assist you to regain your normal foot posture. Please ask your physio for their advice. During this stage of your rehabilitation is aimed at returning you to your desired activities. Everyone has different demands for their feet that will determine what specific treatment goals you need to achieve. For some it be simply to walk around the block. Others may wish to run a marathon or return to a labour-intensive activity. Your physiotherapist will tailor your rehabilitation to help you achieve your own functional goals. Bunions will deform further with no attention. Plus, the bunion pain associated does have a tendency to return. The main reason is biomechanical. In addition to your muscle control, your physiotherapist will assess your foot biomechanics and may recommend either a temporary off-the shelf orthotic