Bunions should not get in the way of contributing.
Tiburon,
Ca
– May 20, 2010 – Alpha Orthotics Corp. helps walkers and runners participate in
charity-sponsored walk-a-thons, run-a-thons, and marathons. Millions of
Americans participate of which most have one common concern – their two feet –
and making sure they get through the event without blisters and sores. A subset
of this active group has bunions and wants
to get through the event without bunion pain.
Walking for a cause started in 1968 by the American Freedom
from Hunger Foundation with 3,000 participants and quickly grew into a
coordinated walk during 1970 which included 150,000 walkers covering 2 million
miles. The popularity of this fund-raising venue has grown to thousands of
events per year walking for local and national charities. No matter what the
venue or cause, millions of Americans participate.
According to the American Academy of Orthopeadic Surgeons,
over ½ of women have some degree of Hallux valgus (bunions), and a lesser
amount among men. Therefore, it can be assumed that a significant number of
participants have bunions. Those who have bunions, have even more to be
concerned about than just blisters and sores – aggravating the bunion to the
point of excruciating pain, placing excess pressure on the forefoot metatarsals
and not having enough support in the metatarsal arch.
So for those who have bunions, following are some tips to
prevent bunions from interfering with participation.
Prior to the event:
• Purchase shoes from a
professional shoe store where the personnel are trained to assess type of feet
and gait.
• Select socks that divert
friction and moisture away from the skin such as double layer socks or
anatomically padded zones of acrylic/CoolMax® fiber.
• Make sure shoes are well
worn-in prior to the actual event. Wear the shoes during all training sessions.
• Build up time in shoes;
running in shoes for 45 minutes is different than walking in shoes for 8 hours
per day.
• After each training
session, wear a bunion splint, such as Bunion Aid®,
to relieve bunion pain and redistribute pressure points away from the bunion.
Alice Flaherty, physical therapist, recommends, “To
condition properly for the race, include other activities such as hiking on
varied surfaces and bicycling with your walking program.”
During the event:
• If you have taken
precautions leading up to the event, you should be able to enjoy the day
without bunion pain, blisters or sores.
After the event:
• Take off those shoes and
wear a splint barefoot or in a sock to relieve the pressure. Bunion Aid
provides the comfort of a soft splint with the support of a rigid splint. This
kind of splint provides support to the metatarsal arch and redistributes the
weight away from the metatarsal joint, relieving pressure from the bunion.
• Contrasting an ice bath and
a warm bath helps with post-exercise aches and pains from swelling. Place foot
in bucket of warm water for 3 minutes, and then in a bucket of ice water for 1
minute. Repeat 4 times for a total of 16 minutes, and as often as 3 times per
day. Although an extreme feeling, the body will adjust.
• Soak, scrub, and massage
your feet, toes, and ankles. Epsom salt is known to help sooth away bunion
pain.
• Exercise your feet by
pointing toes, rotating feet, rolling the foot over a golf ball, and picking up
a towel with your toes.
To help prepare for your charitable event, download an
easy-to-read complimentary eBook, When the Foot Hits
the Ground from Toe to Heel; and if you have bunions, get a 10% discount on
Bunion Aid by using promo code: CHARITY at www.bunion-aid.com.
About Bunion Aid
Bunion Aid, distributed by Alpha Orthotics Corp., is a
German-engineered flexible hinged splint that relieves bunion pain and corrects
big toe mal-positioning in mild to moderate Hallux valgus (bunions). In the
case of bunion surgery, the bunion splint helps maintain the surgical fixation
of the big toe.
About Alpha
Orthotics Corp.
Alpha Orthotics Corp. (http://www.alphaorthotics.com)
is a wholly owned subsidiary of German Hallufix Corporation. Alpha Orthotics
markets and sells patented, German-engineered non-invasive orthotic products
directly to consumers and to the medical community.
