This Little Piggy

 When we’re little, we just love to wiggle and play with our toes. They’re funny, flexible, and can move in so many directions! Then as we grow up, we ask a lot of those little digits. Our toes are among the smallest joints in our body, and yet they support all our weight and play a crucial role in balance, propulsion, stability, and the ability to move in different directions.

Your big toes are especially important. They bear most of your body weight, almost twice that of your other toes combined! The big toes help create the very arch of your foot. As we walk, the heel strikes the ground first; the foot then rolls forward on its outer edge toward the ball of the big toe, which pushes off the ground as the Achilles lifts our heel. That’s one step. The big toe does most of that pushing against the ground as we move forward. It alone is responsible for about 90% of the functional capacity of your feet.

Now, if you have bunions or other big toe sensitivities, you’re probably thinking “Ouch”.  I myself have a history of issues with my big toes, partly from being en pointe as a dancer. Those problems led me to discover a series of fantastic toe exercises that can help return strength and flexibility to your toes, and thus markedly improve balance and gait. I’m teaching these exercises in each of our classes this coming week. They’re fun, a bit challenging, and very effective when practiced regularly. As you incorporate these exercises into your life on a regular basis, I’ll be so interested to hear how your balance, walking, running, and dancing skills improve.