Mike Varshavski, DO, extra generally often called “Dr. Mike” to his 25 million social media followers, spends his days seeing sufferers in addition to shelling out well being knowledge and battling medical misinformation on-line. However one factor he at all times makes positive to squeeze into his weeks: toe yoga.
“When we’re thinking about healthy feet, it’s not just about making sure the foot is healthy for the sake of the foot,” he says. “The foot is representative of the entire body.”
Dr. Varshavski explains that cultivating power, flexibility, coordination, and management in your ft is a technique to construct a powerful basis from the bottom up. As a result of the muscle tissue in your ft are so small, they’re extra predisposed to damage in the event that they’re put underneath an uncommon quantity of pressure. So in the event you go for a tricky run, your hamstrings may have the ability to deal with it, however your foot muscle tissue and tendons could be screaming. That may make you much less secure in your ft, which may result in damage.
“Whenever we have issues in the foot, it usually also ends up translating to joints higher up, including the ankle, the knee, the hip, and the low back,” Dr. Varshavski says.
Ramping up an train routine slowly so your ft do not get overtaxed is essential right here. However a good way to offer your foot well being a head begin is toe yoga, which “helps develop neuromuscular control of the foot, and neuromuscular control is incredibly important when it comes to injury prevention,” he says. Analysis reveals that doing toe yoga can scale back foot ache1 and enhance steadiness2, which is correlated with decreasing accidents.
If you happen to haven’t heard of toe yoga earlier than, it refers to workouts particularly meant to stretch and strengthen your toes, ft, and ankles.
“It’s really just about being able to independently move each part of the foot,” Dr. Varshavski says. “A lot of the time that’s hard for people. We neglect the foot when it comes to training. It’s a very common weak spot for folks, especially when running long distances. And one that you can train out pretty quickly as well.”
“When we’re thinking about healthy feet, it’s not just about making sure the foot is healthy for the sake of the foot. The foot is representative of the entire body.” —Mike Varshavski, DO
There are all kinds of toe yoga workouts on the market, however Dr. Varshavski’s most well-liked train couldn’t be easier:
- Stand together with your ft hip-width aside.
- Increase up your large toes whereas holding your different 4 toes on the ground. Maintain this place for 3 seconds.
- Then, reverse the motion: Maintain your large toes on the ground whereas elevating your different toes off the ground. Maintain this place for 3 seconds.
- Proceed alternating for 60 seconds.
Dr. Varshavski likes to do that 1-minute routine proper when he will get out of the bathe. “[After a shower] you’re probably going to be looking at your toes, maybe cutting your toenails—that’s a good time to do toe yoga,” he says. “For me, three times a week is my standard, unless I’m rehabbing an injury. Then I’m doing it pretty much every day.”
The aim is for toe yoga to assist stop foot accidents within the first place. However you must also deal with your ft earlier than, throughout, and after train. That features ensuring you’ve received correctly becoming and supportive footwear—Dr. Varshavski prefers the Brooks Ghost Max 2 ($150) for the cushioning it delivers to his ft and knees. [Editor’s note: Dr. Varshavski has a current partnership with Brooks.]
He recommends ensuring your footwear matches correctly by standing and strolling in them as a result of your toes unfold out while you put your weight on them.
Whereas exercising—out on a run, for instance—make the most of that toe yoga-amped neuromuscular management by holding your eyes forward of you so you may react to your terrain. And if you’re experiencing any ache, again off.
When you’re executed together with your exercise, change out of your sweaty socks to stop fungi rising in your nails or in between your toes (ick!). And most significantly, when you have a priority about foot ache, discuss to your physician to stop a small drawback from turning into bigger.
“Getting your feet happy means discussing your feet with your primary care physician at the earliest sign of discomfort so you can be preventive as opposed to reactive,” he says. “Don’t let the problem progress and get significantly worse, where then you’re left in a hard spot where it’s surgery or nothing. A lot of times we can be proactive.”
Nicely+Good articles reference scientific, dependable, current, sturdy research to again up the knowledge we share. You possibly can belief us alongside your wellness journey.
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Quinlan S, Fong Yan A, Sinclair P, Hunt A. The proof for enhancing steadiness by strengthening the toe flexor muscle tissue: A scientific evaluate. Gait Posture. 2020 Sep;81:56-66. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.07.006. Epub 2020 Jul 11. PMID: 32679464. -
Amaha Ok, Arimoto T, Kitamura N. Impact of toe workouts and toe grip power on the remedy of main metatarsalgia. J Orthop Surg Res. 2020 Dec 2;15(1):580. doi: 10.1186/s13018-020-02113-7. PMID: 33267902; PMCID: PMC7709234.
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