For once, I am putting the “fix” at the top of this blog, please watch the video first.
The video was taken by Eric with me and Mary working on the video by way of Skype in Pennsylvania and California:
(Addition in Oct.2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiOdgpCnuHI )
Now, carefully read the instructions written out, and know that the sublety of this so-called stretch may evade you until you begin to find the FIRST place in the calf of each leg that feels just a little tight when you pull up into it, and learn to feel the release of that tension:
1. Walk around a little, get into the way your feet, heels and all feel on the floor, how they are meeting the floor, are the heels pulling up?
2. Find a doorframe with an inch and a half high sill, or put a couple of books in the doorframe.
3. Stand in the doorframe, putting the big toe joints of both big toes (and the rest of your forefoot as it falls evenly) on the sill or a couple of books. Your feet will be at a slight angle because your heels will be lower than your toes. Now, look straight out, not down at your toes.
4. There is tension in your calves. Grabbing the door frame as best as you can on both sides, take your plank body back until there is not a feeling of tension in either calf. (The calf of the leg is the part between the knee and the ankle. Do not try to do the two of the calves of the legs separately unless you are feeling wildly experimental; it won’t work.)
5. Slightly pull up your body with your hands and arms, until you feel a very slight bit of tension in your calves.
5a. Wait until the tension goes away, and repeat the pullup, (without moving yourself up and down or otherwise jangling) slightly pull up with your hands and arms until you feel a very slight bit of tension in your calves. Wait for the release of tension.
Do once more. 3 times pulling up is enough for one time. If you want to repeat again that day, wait a few hours. I did the sets of 3 about 3 times a day when I first was looking for the result which Stark describes.
Walk around a bit, observe your feet and especially your heels, how they contact the ground. Can the heels stay on the ground better, longer, as you walk?
I got this from this book: http://www.amazon.com/Stark-Reality-Stretching-Informed-Activities/dp/0968360718
My son gave me the book and 6 months later, feeling a little guilty because he had asked me what I thought of the innovative ideas in it, I threw it in my suitcase on the way to work at a Japanese music festival.
Two weeks into the festival, still waking up at 3:30 with no English books left and faced with watching the Seattle Mariners as the only thing on TV in English, I began to read Stark’s tidy opus.
I don’t much like his extensive quoting of studies of stretching dead tissue; I don’t think it speaks to the problem at all and of course I had no way of actually looking at the studies.
However, his point that the way we all know of stretching is not the whole story at all is one we all need to know.
This exercise above shows what Stark calls the “sarcomere slide” for the calves and he claimed it would help bunions. I had a bunion brought on by a broken big left toe, and was interested to see if the “sarcomere slide” would help.
There were other reasons why I was interested, too. From one of my early trainings on I and other Rolfers have been frustrated by bunions, they are remarkably long-lived and persistent.
This exercise helps because the bunion is living in the long attachments of muscles and tendons in the calves of the legs.
So, root it out! It took about 2 months of daily doing of this before mine was totally gone. Now I just do the exercise occasionally when I show it to someone, and the bunion is still gone, 5 years later. I believe that the “sarcomeres” can learn and retain.
By the Way, you can use this procedure of “sarcomere slide” anywhere you’d like to have a stretch. Dr. Stark is a podiatrist and his book (which I highly recommend, especially to those in the biz) is oriented to the lower part of the body.
Many thanks to Mary and Eric for figuring the above video out and how to do it with the skype session with me. Mary says to tell you that she created her bunions doing ballroom dancing in high heels, and that the pain in her bunion was gone after 2 days of doing this exercise. It never was a very big bunion, and it mostly is gone now.
Perhaps you noticed that this edit in January 2012 has been re-numbered. I think it is easier, all the info is there without so many numbers.
Wow! As soon as I read this I tried it and had great results. I will definitely be doing this to the “good-bye bunion” part. Thank you!
Hey, glad it worked for you. It does feel amazing for so little apparent effort, I think, even for one try of it.
I think it probably helps the whole postural situation as well, the tonic postural complex
is starting right there in that area.
Thanks Linda, since I’ve been Rolfed, I haven’t had nearly as much pain with my bunion and this is very insightful as to why. Great maintenance stretch. And thanks for the review on Stark’s Stretch book – following your advice and got a copy.
Thank you Linda. I will be passing this on to my clients. I am a Rolfer from Reno Nevada.
Hi, Kim, nice to see you here.
Please let me know how it works out for your clients….
Hi,
I have had really quite painful bunions for all of my life (only 24 years old now), genetically inherited. I would love to do this exercise as it does make sense that my calves are too tight (quite big calves in our family!), but I’m a bit confused about how it works. Do I put all of my toes on top of 1-2″ of books in a door way? Or just the big toes? http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/standing%20calf%20stretch.gif is it essentially that stretch? Thanks for your help!
Hi Vanessa. Actually this .gif is not accurate in that it is the more traditional stretch usually done for the gastrocs/soleus, where the heel is off the floor.
In the one I describe, the heel is on the floor.
All the first toe joints next to the foot, including the “bunion” joint, will be on the sill or books, in this “sarcomere slide” that I describe.
This action is very subtle, compared to the type illustrated in the .gif you have sent.
Can someone put a video of how to do this because I don’t understand , how to do it and I am really interested in trying it, even post it on youtube and give the url, thank you!x
sorry, Leoni, my techno expertise is not ready for this youtube, but I did make an offer for a Skype session in
today’s blog.
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The new post on Bunions has a couple of good videos on the exercise/stretch.
is this similar to a calf stretch . would appreciate a diagram please.I have tried to perform this but not sure if I am doing it correctly
Hi Jan, this is a VERY sophisticated calf stretch. It is very very subtle, and will do the job on those parts of the nervous system which are keeping the nerves activated that are pulling the bunions into their shape.
http://www.rolfinggrace.com/2011/01/fix-your-own-dang-bunion-the-videos/
Above: the video.
This post is far out the most popular. I am amazed that so many are having bunion problems. Please have patience and try this every day, it can work unless your bunions have gotten just horrible. The people that I know who have used this have mild bunions.
Wonderful! Quick question though. what do you mean by, “pull up”? Am I grabbing the door frame on both sides and sliding my hands up?
Christy, if you can cut and paste this link to the videos, I hope it will answer all your question. The hands do not slide up on the door frame, you pull your
body up.
http://www.rolfinggrace.com/2011/01/fix-your-own-dang-bunion-the-videos/
I have watched the videos as well as read the blog and I must say I am excited to try this method. I am female pushing 40 with a genetic disposition to have bunions. It started a few years ago on the left foot and I have changed shoes, etc. It was doing ok until I broke my left tibia and fibula back in November. Surgery, 13 screws and 2 plates later I am in an airboot still with no weight bearing. This thing is really causing havoc with my bunion. My question is do you think I could start these exercises as soon as I can put weight on my foot? My calf muscle is almost none existent at this point. What do you think? Thank so much in advance.
Yikes, so sorry about your injury. Please don’t start the exercise until the doctor says it is okay to stop the airboot.
It would be a great gift for yourself to find a Rolfer in your area, as well as the exercise.
Find one here, or backchannel me:
http://www.rolf.org
The change in sensation of foot on the floor is quite extraordinary. I will certainly persist. I have also been walking and running barefoot with the hope of improving my foot health and preventing any deterioration in my mild (at this stage) bunions. The possibility of actually improving them is a big motivator.
One question – is there anything similar to help with a mallet toe? My impression is that it is a problem the muscles/tendons having tightened up. I can manipulate it to be straight, but only with quite a bit of force and it goes back to its curled up position as soon as I let go.
Thanks for posting these instructions and the associated video.