By Cheyenne Kenwell, Certified Pedorthist at The Stride Clinic
Have you ever stopped to consider that our bodies are constantly adjusting our center of gravity to adapt to changes under our feet, without us even having to think about it?
In fact, if we DID have to think about it, we’d be too slow to react and might topple right over that crack in the sidewalk.
Keeping Us Balanced
The sensory feedback from your skin, muscles and joints helps the brain to understand where the body is in space, and this wondrous skill our bodies have is called proprioception. Imagine how much of your day would be spent thinking about the actions needed to climb up stairs or to stand up from your chair or to just simply walk if the brain wasn’t able to initiate those movements with the help of proprioception.
While proprioception is a built-in feature of the human body, we can improve its functioning through exercises and tools like touch and texture. Because there are so many joints, muscles and skin sensors in our feet, our feet are a really important part of our body for maintaining balance. This can be further narrowed to a few crucial muscles that are first on scene when there’s a shift in the body’s movement such as stepping down from the curb, a short forward run on the pickleball court or walking on uneven ground.
Try this: stand in front of a wall with your arms out in front of you. Lean your body forward over your toes like you’re falling forward. How did your body respond? I’ll bet you felt the muscles of the toes engage as your pressure shifted forward, and your toes tried to grip the ground to keep you from actually falling forward. The long and short muscles of the toes are the first muscles that are engaged when there is a shift in the body’s weight.
If we had a loved one that caught us from falling as much as our feet do, we’d make sure to take as good of care for them as they do us, but the reality is most of us ignore our feet until they start yelling at us.
Taking Care of Our Toes Helps Keep Us on Our Feet
There’s benefit for people of all different ages to prioritize toe and foot health as the improvement can be seen in any activity that requires standing or walking. Good balance is key for many day-to-day tasks and in leading an active life for as long as possible. Longevity is all the rage these days and staying active is super important to make sure our golden days really are golden. And of course, we don’t need to mention the importance of avoiding falls in our old age.
There are many ways to improve toe strength and some may work better than others, depending on a number of factors. Consistency is key here. You won’t see balance and foot strength gains if you’re not putting in the work.
A simple way to help create the habit is to find an exercise that is easy to incorporate into the things you already do daily. Instead of having to set time aside for another task added to your already super busy day, could you do the exercise while cooking dinner or while brushing your teeth?
Start with little things like trying to lift just your big toe, maybe then try keeping the big toe down and lifting all your little toes. Can you pick up a pencil with your toes? Can you press your toes into the ground without curling them? What happens to the rest of your foot when you try to move your toes? Can you lift your toes without moving the rest of your foot? Let me tell you, practice makes perfect. Start today and see where your toes can take you!
To learn more about toe and foot health or to book an assessment, visit The Stride Clinic online. You can also give our team a call. Call (705) 735-1013 for our Barrie clinic or (705) 326-5808 for our Orillia clinic.
This article was sponsored by The Stride Clinic, a 2024 OrilliaMatters Reader Favourite.