8 simple toe exercises that can improve your balance and mobility

It might sound weird to work out your toes, but it can actually make a huge difference to your balance and overall mobility. After all, your feet and toes are the foundation of your whole body.

The following toe exercises are common and well-researched. If you have particular concerns or a pre-existing injury or health condition, consider consulting with a physical or occupational therapist for specific recommendations.

1. Toe Spread

Spreading out your toes can reduce stiffness and improve overall balance by strengthening the intrinsic muscles that control toe movement.

In clinical practice, physical and occupational therapists may actually use the “toe spread test” to assess the overall strength and flexibility of your feet.

How to perform toe spreads:

1. From a sitting position, spread your toes as far apart as you can.
2. Hold for five seconds, then relax.
3. Repeat 10 times on each foot.

2. Towel Pulls

Towel pulls support healthy arches and are often prescribed to patients dealing with plantar fasciitis. It also improves your coordination and dexterity, builds foot strength, improves overall balance, and has even been shown to improve cognition.

All of these benefits can help prevent falls or aid recovery from injury.

How to perform towel pulls:

1. From a sitting position, place a dish towel on the floor with your feet positioned so the toes are just over the edge of the towel.
2. Scrunch your toes to grip the towel, then pull it toward you.
3. Repeat this motion until you’ve pulled the whole towel toward you.
4. You can adjust the challenge by using a larger or smaller towel, or placing a weight (such as a water bottle) at the far end of the towel.
5. Repeat the process on the other foot.

3. Toe Raises

Toe raises are a simple exercise that involves lifting your toes off the floor, strengthening the tibialis anterior, the muscle that runs along the front of your shin. This exercise has been shown to improve balance control and stability.

How to perform toe raises:

1. From standing or sitting, lift your toes off the floor and then place them back down.
2. Repeat 10 times on each foot.

4. Toe Yoga

Toe yoga may be more of a workout for your brain than your body. This exercise challenges you to move each toe individually, which most people find quite difficult. With practice, toe yoga gets easier (thanks to neuroplasticity, which is when your brain rewires itself in response to new challenges).

How to perform toe yoga:

1. From standing or sitting, lift your big toe only and place it back down.
2. Repeat with each toe, from big to little, lifting one toe at a time.
3. Repeat on the other foot.

You can modify this exercise by using your hands to stabilize your other digits so that the one you’re trying to move is more easily isolated. It can be challenging to isolate your toes, so just do your best. You are forming new neural connections just by trying.

5. Rock Paper Scissors

You’re probably familiar with the game “rock, paper, scissors,” but did you know you can play it with your toes, too? Just like toe yoga, it challenges both your body and brain.

An experimental study included the rock-paper-scissors exercise (alongside other toe exercises such as towel pulls and pick-ups) in a 12-week program and found that participants in the exercise group improved toe grip, skill, and strength, and had a reduced risk of falls, compared to the control group.

Participants also had higher scores on a common cognitive test, suggesting that these toe exercises may have improved thinking skills.

How to perform toe rock-paper-scissors:

1. From a sitting position, perform three “rock, paper, scissors” movements with the toes.
2. Clench your toes to perform “rock.”
3. Spread your toes apart so that they don’t touch to perform “paper.”
4. Raise the big toe only to perform “scissors.”
5. Repeat the cycle 10 times on each foot.

6. Pick Ups

Toe pick-ups involve picking up small items by scrunching your toes around them. This can improve your dexterity and coordination, as well as the strength and flexibility in your toes and feet.

All of this supports better balance and stability during functional movements, such as standing, walking, and bending over.

How to perform toe pick-ups:

1. From a sitting position, curl your toes to pick up and move small items.
2. Work up to picking up 10 items with each foot.

You might use several marbles, pebbles, a golf ball, and a separate container to drop the items into.

7. Big Toe Stretch

Did you know that the big toe is essential for balance? It helps stabilize the body by sending important sensory feedback to the brain and stopping you from toppling forward.

Many of the toe exercises in this list help strengthen the big toe (and other toes, as well as parts of your feet and lower legs). It’s also important to stretch the big toe to keep it flexible and mobile, especially as you age or if you often wear restrictive footwear like high heels or work boots.

How to perform the big toe stretch:

1. From a sitting position, cross one leg over the other knee.
2. Use your hands to manually stretch the big toe back, forward, and in small circles.
3. Hold each position for at least 10 seconds.
4. Repeat on the other foot.

8. Pointing and Flexing

This exercise is a favorite among dancers, but it’s suitable for anyone to try. Pointing and flexing are great ways to improve flexibility and strength in the toes, feet, and calves. It can also help improve neuromuscular control of the feet and ankles.

How to perform pointing and flexing:

1. From a sitting position, point the feet and curl the toes.
2. Hold for a few seconds, then flex the feet and extend the toes back toward your face.
3. Hold for a few seconds.
4. Repeat 10 times on each foot.

Read the original article on Verywell Health