In recent years, bovine lameness has become one of the most costly disorders of the modern dairy cow. Veterinarians have taken a leading role in the prevention and treatment of this problem. The functional and corrective hoof trimming techniques employed by veterinarians and hoof trimmers today are largely based on the published methods of the late E. Toussaint Raven, known worldwide as the father of the Dutch method of claw trimming. In January 2002, at the 12th International Symposium on Lameness in Ruminants, a novel technique was presented as a corrective trimming method for two specific lesions common in lame dairy cattle. Mr. Hiroyuki Manabe, a Japanese national hoof trimming champion, presented what has come to be known as "the missing heel technique" as a corrective trimming method for sole ulcers and white line disease at the heel. While no quantitative comparisons to traditional methods have been made, the success of this technique as used by the Cornell University Ambulatory and Production Medicine Clinic has been remarkable enough to draw the interest of those involved in the treatment of bovine lameness. In the presentation of this new technique, Manabe shares the inspiring words of E. Toussaint Raven that led to the creation of this new technique. In his textbook, Cattle Footcare and Claw Trimming, Raven advises that the anatomical diagrams in his book along with the advice to draw one's own diagrams should stimulate the reader's imagination so that a deeper understanding of structure and function be achieved. Because this new technique is so much better understood with a sound knowledge of the anatomy of the bovine hoof and appreciation of the pathogenesis of the lesions, this paper will present a review of these topics first, a review of the traditional corrective trimming methods as outlined by Raven and finally presentation of this new technique and the result of it as used on a case.