Courtney Conley

The problem with bunions and things like hammer toes or changes to the forefoot is they increase our risks of falls as we age.

So it compromises balance.

So that's not what we want.

So that's why if the bunion is flexible and if we can intervene, and at 40 the most are.

It's when you get later, a little later in life when the foot starts to become more stiff and rigid that that can be a different conversation.

Yeah, I love this question.

If you were to stand up and put your feet on the ground and lean forward.

what you should feel is your toes pressing into the floor.

It's literally our toe strength that helps decelerate our bodies.

So when you look at when most falls occur, it is at the initiation of gait.

So if I was going to start walking, when people lose the strength of their toes, they lose that ability to decelerate.

So if you were to take a washcloth,

Roll it up, put it underneath the tips of your toes so that the bottom of the foot is lengthened.

And then simply lean forward.

Press your toes into the washcloth, hold for five seconds, and then come back out.

Yes.

When people Google, what do I do for my heel pain, my plantar fasciitis, you will see foot orthotics, highly cushioned shoes, and icing the foot.

These things might be beneficial in acute stages when it first happens, but heel pain can last for very long periods of time.

You don't want to deload tissue forever.

So the way I explain this to my patients, if you had low back pain, you wouldn't wear a low back brace forever.