Can You Pass The Big Toe Test?

Big toe dysfunction is extremely common, because it’s placed under tremendous load on every stride and we’ve inflicted years and decades of abuse to the big toe by trapping it inside a box with the other toes. A weak and dysfunctional big toe can turn into a big problem, because it’s the single most important joint in human locomotion. This article will explain why the big toe is so important to human movement and present a fun little challenge that you can perform to assess big toe functionality, and improve that functionality over time. 

The big toe (i.e., the flexor hallucis longus and the intrinsic muscles supporting it) does disproportionate work relative to its size. The big toe’s dorsiflexion (bending upward) is the primary push-off lever on every stride. When the big toe dorsiflexes, your heel lifts off the ground, weight shifts forward onto your toes, and the glutes (the largest and most powerful muscle group in the body) engage to provide propulsion.

The big toe is also heavily responsible for stabilizing the arch to ensure optimal pronation during the walking and running gait patterns, and all manner of other movement such as jumping. Upon impact, the big toe and its flexor tendon help create tension along the plantar fascia and arch. This helps absorb impact forces and harness kinetic energy by what’s known in physics as the windlass mechanism. It’s the same thing that happens when a sailor pulls a rope to tighten the sail and increase speed. 

Forty to sixty percent of your body’s propulsive force at toe-off routes through the big toe and its joint (the first metatarsophalangeal joint - the large joint at the base of your big toe where the first long bone of your foot - the metatarsal - connects to the first bone of your toe - the proximal phalanx.) If your big toe is weak, impact forces are inappropriately shifted to the outer foot and smaller toes, which aren’t built for it. 

It’s also important to reflect on how most human movement entails the legs working independently - unlike lots of arm activity where we use both arms to perform movement or work efforts. A strong, mobile big toe is absolutely essential for the proprioception and stability required for single-leg activity, including walking, running, climbing stairs, jumping off one leg, or performing all manner of side-to-side athletic movements. 

When the big toe is weak, atrophied, or inhibited by being squeezed together with the other toes inside a shoe, adverse downstream chain reactions occur. Limited big toe dorsiflexion (a common issue called hallux limitus) often forces altered gait mechanics that can contribute to knee, hip, or lower back issues over time. In simple terms, you stomp through fitness activities, hiking trails, and life in general without grace or precision, and inappropriately disperse impact forces throughout the lower extremities. A sub-optimal big toe means more stress to the arch, Achilles, knee, hips, and lower back. 

Take the big toe test!

Strange as it may seem, your big toe should ideally be as dextrous as your thumbs, able to move on multiple planes independently from the other toes. You can perform some fun tests to assess your big toe dexterity, and strive to improve over time with a combination of specific foot exercises, spending more time barefoot in the home and other safe areas, and walking, exercising and living life in Peluvas. 

Ready for the test? Sit on the floor barefoot and flat footed with bent knees. Apply pressure to the heel, the ball at the big toe, and at the little toe. Maintaining pressure at these three points, press down with your four toes and try to lift the big toe off the ground. How did you do? Hopefully you can get your big toe a little elevated, and can progress over time to achieve a 45-degree angle or even beyond. Next, try the opposite challenge: Keep your big toe pressed to the floor and try to lift the other four toes off the floor. Try alternating back and forth in a coordinated manner. 

The challenge is also your homework assignment: conduct the test repeatedly to reawaken and sharpen your neural connection to your feet. Realize that you are not only dealing with inflexible joints and connective tissue but a deficiency in brain mapping where you are asking the toe to rise and it’s not cooperating, or barely cooperating. Consequently, you can use your hands to brace or move the toes as desired, knowing this will help with brain training and joint mobility. 

During idle time, see if you can have some fun laying out a small towel and scrunching it up repeatedly until it is bunched. Or lay some objects on the ground like a pencil, fork, golf ball, or small rock and try to pick them up with your foot. Building little habits like these can go a long way toward improving your foot functionality and adapting to your Peluvas. For further guidance, please download our free 88-page eBook, The Definitive Guide to a Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Lifestyle, at Peluva.com - you can also get a free print copy of the book with your order.