Bunion!

[Guest MissInga]

Boo!!!!!!!! I went to a podiatrist because of a bunion on my right foot. I had surgery on it about 8 years ago and it was not successful (made it worse and uglier but it hasn't hurt until lately). It was suggested to me to quit dancing-NOT AN OPTION!

It occasionally gets sore when I wear flat shoes and walk around after a ballet class with lots of releve, but not enough where I'm going to throw in the towel. I remember reading in Pointe that they are hereditary. Just wondering if anyone has suggestions besides surgery....Thanks!

[old shoe]

When they wanted to "fix" my bunions 15 years ago, I resisted. I ended up with orthotics and bigger shoes. My bunions haven't bothered me since, even when I started trying pointe again this spring, but I don't know if it was the bigger shoes relieving the pressure or the orthotics or both that helped. Good luck! (And DON'T stop dancing!)

 

Old Shoe

[Guest ckdancegirl7]

Hey! I have the same problems with bunions, but I've never had surgery. Luckily my bunions aren't as bad a some can be, but they still give me problems occassionally. They especially hurt me when I wear pointe shoes. But recently I began using spacers (these can be the gel kind, foam kind, etc.) to put between my first two toes. It really helps lessen the pain and it keeps my big toe straight in the shoe! I tried using gel spacers, but they got squished up after a while so I made my own. I took some cotton and wrapped it in a small piece of soft fabric, then sewed it shut. It made a nice, soft spacer to put between my toes. Also, do you roll on your insteps naturally? If so, it might take pressure off your bunions if you wear arch supports in your regular shoes (they also make soft ones for ballet shoes). You may have tried both these things already, but they definitely helped my bunions alot! GOOD LUCK

[Mel Johnson]

Hi Carrie, and welcome to the Forums here at Ballet Talk on Ballet Alert! Online! You may want to note the headings of the forums before you post, this is Adult Students, but your advice is very good, and matches what Ms. Leigh and I have been saying all along about spacers for bunions. And if the off-the-shelf doesn't work, make your own!

 

Now try Young Dancers 13-16, as that is reserved especially for dancers your age.

[Guest MissInga]

Thanks to all for the advice! Does anyone have specific experience with the "jelly toes" tubes? My daughter is using one on her big toe and I want to be sure she is doing the right thing. Do you simply cut off a piece like a sock? There's no exact science here?

Thanks again!

[Guest SEA_Mariko]

Hi!

 

My Bunion got so much worse this summer.

I am using a gel toe separator between the big toe and the second toe but

it is too small. I can't find anything good to insert between the two toes.

 

Any suggestions? Right now, my bunion is more painful than my broken toe!

Thanks!

[Mel Johnson]

Mariko, if you're not already seeing a doctor for that broken toe, you should be. When you have it checked, also check into the bunion. Having a broken bone complicates the matter of using orthotics and should only be managed by a medical professional.

[Guest SEA_Mariko]

Hello, Mr. Johnson!

 

Thank you for your suggestion. Yes, I have seen a doctor about my foot,

after my pinky toe stayed painful over a month. That's when my doctor

told me that my pinky toe was broken. She knows that I dance. She asked me

if I could stop dancing for two months and I said no.

So she showed me how to tape two toes together and gave me tons of Motrins.

She herself as a soccer player who used play a game with a broken toe said,

"Sometimes, we have to choose to do what we want to do even with a pain."

Since she does not dance, she did not know that dancing with two toes being taped would make the balance uneven and as a result the bunion problem would get worse. I am going to a specialist if the problem continues after my pinky toe is completely healed. Thank you, again.

[Rio]

Thought I would share my experience from yesterday, to illustrate the importance of going to a doctor to get even minor problems checked out.

 

For a year and a half, I have been bothered by a "bunion" on my left foot! My GP told me it was probably a bunion, gave me some medication and told me to come back if it continued to bug me. The thought of surgery and 6 weeks in plaster made me push this to the back of my mind and I never went back.

 

Eventually, I decided to go see an orthopaedic surgeon yesterday (only because my left knee is now giving me hassles, and I thought this could be due to walking funny to alleviate the pain in my foot). Turns out, the bunion itself is minor, but I have a "blob" in one of the bones in my feet that has to be "investigated". Could be an anomaly in my bone, could be a benign tumour.

 

So, I'm off for a bone scan on Friday!

 

From now on, if a pain persists, I'll be seeing my doctor until it's gone!

 

Rio

[Mel Johnson]

Good for you and your orthopaedist for catching the unusual situation you've just described. Don't be too hard on your GP for not finding it; many times a seemingly obvious formation will mask a more complex situation. But yes, the answer is just as you have stated: If pain obstinately persists, seek assistance until it goes.

[Rio]

I'm not too distressed that my GP did not pick it up. I should have gone back for x-rays and whatnot, after all!