Transcript

(for those who are clicking on tango links while they were supposed to be working 😁):

Hey, this is Dimitris, the curious tanguero.

My goal is to bring more people to tango and more tango to people.

Today we’ll discuss bunions and pain on the big toe. 

Or, if you are into latin, ‘hallux valgus’. 

If you feel pain or discomfort at the beginning of the big toe, this might be for you too.

If you haven’t followed this podcast yet, look for the Follow button.

It’s free, it’s fun, and you’ll learn many ways to improve your tango.

Let’s start!

Lot’s of tango dancers have bunions under the big toe.

I wanted to understand what causes them, and most importantly, if it is possible to prevent them or live with them without discomfort (or with less discomfort).

I posted on my facebook profile, and I’ll share with you the answers.

(YOU can respond to the post and add more recommendations if you have!)

Obviously, this is for entertainment purposes only.

If you are struggling with this, contact a certified professional.

Dia recommended foot, toe and arch exercises, suggesting they are fantastic for prevention.

If you are interested in that, she recommended this website. 

She said:

‘I use this site, not only for my feet. It helped my scoliosis too, if one isn’t a doctor, one won’t even recognise anymore that I have problems. Also no more pain, a magnificent feeling!’

Most people commented that the origin of the bunions is due to genetics plus wrong footwear plus wrong usage.

Stephanie recommended not to wear narrow high heeled shoes. 

Melina added to that, and suggested reducing the heels to 5-6 cm in milongas. She also gave a quick advice to the ladies:

Quote:

‘To all these ladies who dance very much on the inside of their forefeet to look more elegant – not a good choice. Placing your weight above the entire forefoot might look less sexy, but is definitely healthier.’

Paloma gave a tip when it comes to selecting shoes:

‘The tango shoe shouldn’t press the toes, it needs to cover the bunion but not press it.’

She also suggested a solution for your everyday life shoes:

‘I use half a size bigger shoes than my regular size to give my toes more room and don’t feel pressure.’

Some people recommended arch support and insoles. Julien responded that those make your feet & muscles lazy, so exercising to strengthen the feet is needed too. 

Some followers decided to use toe spreaders during the dance, and mentioned that this alleviates the pain and the discomfort.

Nacho, a tango teacher, recommended that you follow Rubens Garcia on instagram. I checked his account and it is providing a lot of insights.  

Helaine, a tango teacher who also has large bunions, said the following:

‘They don’t give me any pain. I spend a lot of time barefoot, so that helps with my foot alignment.

I believe, and I confirmed this with my artistic tango mentor who has a lot of body mechanics knowledge, that it’s from a misalignment of my hip, knee, ankle, and toe joints. That is, THE BUNION STARTS FROM THE HIPS.’

Daniela recommended foot alignmend socks.  

This is what she said:

‘Toe socks can help a lot – it’s about alignment of the foot in relation to the body and to gravity. I had a student with pretty bad bunions. We explained the alignment of the foot and got her some toe socks to wear during down time (at night for example). Over time it straightened her toes quite a bit and she had less pain. You must balance between bad shoes and out of alignment with alignment and no shoes.’

Daniela also said this:

‘The weight of the body ought to be carried in the heel of the foot – that bone is the biggest in the foot and meant to carry the weight of the body. Too much pressure on the forefoot and poor alignment are some of the factors that make bunions.

Keep thinking of ways to enervate your feet, of ways to bring oxygenated blood to them. Moving them, wiggling the toes, drawing with your big toe in the air, on the floor, in the sand, raising them, massaging them, icing them, having someone else massaging them.’ 

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A friend recommended something else, that you might want to explore:

Lots of athletes are now using infrared light to fight inflammation and he decided to try it.

What my friend told me: 

”I can be dancing all night, then put this on for 20 minutes, and the next morning I feel brand new.”

Andrea focused more on correct alignment:

Quote:

‘Consistently putting too much weight and pressure on the front of the feet is problematic also. Of course we use the forefoot a lot to propel us in dancing, but in standing we need to be sure not to have our centre of gravity (i.e. our hips) swinging forward over our toes. When we stand, we should keep the hips back toward our heels, which is correct alignment in standing but also keeps our hips out of our partners’ way.

Exercising the feet is also good: scrunching up a towel with the toes helps, spreading the toes apart and wiggling them individually as well as doing things to realign the big toe, with exercise or with realignment socks or spacers as mentioned by others.’

Finally, many suggested that surgery is the answer.

Suggested topics:

👉 More and better dances in the milongas for women: HOW?

👉 The third most common reason men choose not to dance with a woman in milongas

I hope that was useful:

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And if you want to support the podcast you can go on Amazon and buy the book Tangofulness: Exploring connection, awareness, and meaning in tango. It is available in 11 languages. Its goal is to help you understand and develop your unique tango. Links and email should be available somewhere around this content. 

Hugs, and stay Curious

Dimitris