If you can wiggle, spread, and bend your toes you probably have a good sense of balance.  But for many,  this very normal exercise may seem like a far-away notion because when they try–nothing happens.  In these cases, the toes have lost their proprioception (sensory awareness).  In a way the toes have developed a sort-of sensory paralysis–meaning they can’t move because they have been confined for too long and their normal neural connection from the toes to the brain has atrophied.

The above image is a fairly average situation.  The ramifications of wearing shoes that confine toes are frozen, hammer, and claw toes.

Nevertheless, you can train your toes to move and build their neural connection again.  It takes determination and focus, everyday.  You might even use your fingers to remind your toes how to move, spread, and curl, to help release them from their frozen state.

The strength of ones toes will determine how well our feet can be grounded– once they become weak, balance will become a challenge and eventually other foot problems follow.  The power to take a healthy stride in the simple act of walking depends on how well our feet are grounded and the success of this action is dependent on how well our toes receive weight.

There are simple exercises to increase toe strength and with practice, the rewards will show as your sense of balance is restored.  On a reflexology note, another bonus to healthier toe strength is improved innervation to the cranial nerves that promote the health and vitality of the head, neck and brain.

Try these tests to determine your toe strength:

**If you can’t reach your toes, pair up with a friend or family member.

1. Toe Strength– Your toes should be as strong as your fingers. Place your fingers under your toes and curl your toes, then resist your toes from curling. If you can easily straighten your toes against this pressure your toes are very weak. You should not be able to uncurl your toes.
2. Outer toe strength– Curl the 4th and 5th toes against your finger and try to uncurl them. The weakness of these toes will determine how well your feet can balance the weight of your body.  If these toes are weak your shoulders will begin the fold inward.

3. Toe spreading=A function of balance: The wider the toes spread the better the balance and the wider the shoulders will be. While your toes are spreading can you tap the tip of a pencil between them? If so– excellent!

4. 4 outer toe deformities– How straight are your toes? This test measures the deviation from straight lined toes.
The greater the deviation the more this deformity will throw off body mechanics. Use a pencil as your line to test for straightness.

5. Big toe straightness:  Place a pencil along the inside of your foot from the heel to extend past the ball of the first toe.  Does your big toe line up with the pencil or does it stray away from the pencil?   The straight big toe encourages forward movement and a healthy spring, — the greater the degree the big toe strays from the line of the pencil, the weaker it becomes and eventually will not be as dependable to hold weight as the body moves.

Let’s face it, we are all subject to heredity and these genes are noticeable in the similarity of our toes to those of our parent or grandparent.  Given this fact, even if toes have an “interesting” appearance, they can still be strong and functional.  The problem lies when deformity developes from shoes that hold the toes tightly together or are just too small, creating increasingly weak and eventually, dysfunctional feet.

Here are some bare-foot exercises to help strengthen toes:

• Place a tea-towel on the floor.  Put your foot on the edge of the towel-while keeping your heel on the floor grasp the towel with your toes until the entire towel is between your heel and the arch of that foot.
• Pick up marbles with your toes and place them in a container.
• Resist curling your toes with your fingers.
• Resist straightening your toes with your fingers.
• Big toe straightening exercise.  Hold your big toes together and place a thick rubber band around them (the one that holds broccoli is perfect). Keep your heels together and try to separate your big toes, using the rubber band for resistance–it should draw your toes inward.  Do this repeatedly 10 times a day in the am and pm.  Build up up your repetitions by 2 each week.
• Place the balls of your feet and toes on the edge of a stair.  Raise your heels and hold for 2 seconds, then lower your heels below the stair tread and hold for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 times. Do once in am and once in pm.  ** Do not do this exercise if it hurts your toes.  Some discomfort is normal, although this should sub-side during the exercise.

Please write and let me know how you progress in strengthening your toes.  The key to success is not to overdo.  Good luck!