Let's see...so as of the last post I had been taping my toes for 7 wks. I believe I continued taping for only another one or two weeks, because it was about that time I noticed my big toes feeling sore, especially on the right. That toe started to look swollen and slightly red, so I decided to stop taping altogether. I also realized that my big toenails were no longer growing; in fact, the last time I'd trimmed them was three months prior, but all the other toenails were growing on schedule.
My toe pain finally simmered down, but then in April the right one flared up again. It got super red and puffy and had every sign of infection. So I ignored it. It was originating from the nail bed, which was odd since I had no skin breakdown or lacerations to the area. After about two weeks of that, the infection finally cleared up, and I started to lose my toenail. I've never lost a nail before, and my toe had suffered no trauma or ingrown anything. The nail just simply died and started to grow out. There was some new nail trying to grow, but it wasn't moving very quickly. By probably July-ish the dead nail was halfway grown out, and I accidentally snagged it on something and ripped off what was left. Ouchie. But that healed up and now - nearly November - I have about 3/4 of a toenail and it seems to still be filling in. I'm relieved for that, because I thought I'd never have a normal looking nail again. Not that I'm vain about the appearance of my feet, but the once a year (or two) I decide to French tip my toenails, it's kind of nice to have something to tip.
My theory on the toenail weirdness is that the pull of the tape over the top of the nail affected its ability to grow out normally, which somehow messed with the nail bed and caused it to stop growing altogether.
As far as the measurements go, I re-measured again this summer, and my valgus angles were back to where they were before I started taping. Therefore, my conclusion is this: Kinesio tape will help improve the angle of hallux valgus, but not as a long-term solution. I have heard from two people that the tape offered relief from pain they were having from hallux valgus, so I believe it is also an appropriate method for managing symptoms and pain related to this condition. But I would advise caution with constant and repetitive taping over time based on what happened to my toenail.
This brings me to the official end of my case study. (Whew. That's a relief!)
This brings me to the official end of my case study. (Whew. That's a relief!)
3 comments:
The growing of the nail of the big toe takes 9 month to a year, usually. I lost my big toe nail several times and it took that long.
Thanks for your information about taping HV. I'm trying to do the same with my HV. It is a bit disappointing that the effect didn't hold after you stopped. I hope that taping will stop the increase of HV. What are your expectations about this?
I would expect that with a regular taping schedule, you should be able to at least slow the progression of HV. But I say that without any research references to back it up. There was a story in one of my Kinesio taping classes of a group of women who were runners who taped for HV. They took xrays of their feet before starting the taping, and again a few months later. They found that with the taping they had actually changed the bone structure of their feet.
So, I believe you can slow and even reverse the effects of HV, but taping should be consistent and regular. My only word of caution would be to avoid the nail bed. :)
have you ever heard of correcttoes? its a gel insert that you wear on your toes to straighten them. google it.
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