Bunions and Big-Toe Pain: The Shoe Choices Real Tangueras Swear By

If the joint at the base of your big toe aches after a milonga, you’re in very large company.

Many tango dancers live with bunions (hallux valgus) or big-toe pain. Dimitris Bronowski, The Curious Tanguero, wanted to know whether you can prevent bunions or live with them more comfortably, so he asked his Facebook community. The answers became one of his most practical articles: Bunions and big-toe pain in tango. Here are the shoe lessons from it. As Dimitris says, it’s not medical advice, so see a certified professional if you’re struggling.

Where bunions come from (according to dancers)

Most commenters pointed to a mix of genetics, the wrong footwear and the wrong usage. Shoes are only part of the story, but they’re the part you control tonight.

Shoe lessons from the community

1. Cover, don’t press. Paloma’s tip: “The tango shoe shouldn’t press the toes, it needs to cover the bunion but not press it.” Open-toe models with soft straps over the joint, or wider lasts, can make a big difference.

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

Paloma, quoted in Bunions and Big-Toe Pain in Tango by The Curious Tanguero

2. Avoid narrow, high-heeled shoes. Stephanie warned against them, and Melina suggested reducing heels to 5-6 cm in milongas. See finding your heel height.

3. Give everyday shoes room. Paloma also wears everyday shoes half a size bigger to give her toes space. Your feet don’t recover if you squeeze them all week.

4. Insoles, but with exercise. Some recommend arch supports and insoles. Julien countered that they can make feet and muscles lazy, so you need strengthening exercises too.

5. Toe spreaders. Several dancers wear spreaders while dancing and report less pain. Dimitris met one follower who swears by hers in The Tango Follower’s Feet.

It’s not only the shoe: alignment

The most surprising answers were about how we stand. Melina warned against dancing mostly on the inside of the forefoot “to look more elegant”: “Placing your weight above the entire forefoot might look less sexy, but is definitely healthier.” Teacher Helaine, who has large bunions without pain, believes “the bunion starts from the hips”, meaning misalignment of hip, knee, ankle and toe. Andrea suggested keeping the hips back toward the heels when standing, which also keeps them out of your partner’s way.

Dimitris’s Tango Posture Makeover mini-course is built around exactly this kind of everyday realignment.

Recovery between milongas

TangoLife London’s foot care guide covers blisters, calluses and recovery in detail. Dancers in Dimitris’s article add towel scrunches, toe spreading, time barefoot and massage. Tangonaut‘s foot health article lists bunions among the issues improper support can cause, and stresses arch support and cushioning.

When to choose flats

If heels hurt no matter what, flats can keep you dancing. And staying on the floor is the whole point. Read dancing tango in flats.