Correcting Pigeon Toes

A dear friend of mine told me a fascinating story recently as we talked about common deviations in posture and how they can affect the whole body. Although she does not currently have them, she said she had pigeon toes when she was a child. The solution you ask? The surprising prescription the doctor gave her mother was to put her in ice skates.

First, I was pleasantly surprised that the doctor's first resort was not surgery or to put her in some sort of full length leg brace. Second, I wondered why doesn't every doctor recommend this?! She started taking skating lessons and ended up sticking with it for a couple years simply out of enjoyment. Her feet are still straight to this day.

To realize how ice skating can correct this deviation, imagine the muscles of someone's upper leg, lower leg, and feet that are pointed towards each other, or inverted, more commonly known as pigeon-toed. Now imagine the movement of the muscles required to propel someone forward on ice skates. They basically counter-act each other, therefore repetition of the corrective movement (ice skating) will re-train the muscles and bring them back to a neutral position. Amazingly simple and not to mention, fun. No braces, no surgery, no medication, no visits to a specialist... just muscle memory.

Corrective exercises work which is why I am in love with PTX therapy. It has helped me through painful symptoms myself and I believe it can benefit you as well as it empowers you to relieve pain. Your body has the power to heal itself, just look a little deeper and think outside the box. You may be surprised at what you can accomplish. Get started today!