Toe stretches or Yoga toes are a small gel frame that allows your toes to seperate independently of each other. Doing this will help activate the intrinsic muscles that can be come dormant from sedentary life, as well as very restrict footwear. Separating the toes gives more proprioception to the feet allowing improved feed back for the ground. This can improve joint centration all the way up the chain.
If we stick with the joint by joint paradigm, alternating mobility and stability as the primary roles as we go up the chain. The toes are meant to be mobile. They should be subtle and able to wiggle independently of each other. The mid foot should be a point of stability it is the bridge between the toes and the ankle. It is responsible for having a strong and reactive arch as well as being a base of contact, on which we stand. The ankle should be a mobile joint that has stable roots through the mid foot.
When I was working my 4 month internship at Athletes' Performance last year, I was on my feet for 45-50 hours a week. Add into that training and trying to have a plyometric program and my feet took a huge beating. I had to wear Adidas shoes as part of the rules.Keep in mind, until that point I was either in vibrams for barefoot for the last 2 years. Never had foot problems. These shoes might as well have been ski boots. Restrictive and to much of a heel lift. A couple months in, my feet were so sore and it got to the point where I had to stop sprinting and jumping just so I could work. This flared caused the Left ankle which I injured 6 months before to become sore and tight. About midway through I bought these toe stretches from safeway in the foot care section for 8 bucks. I started wearing them when I would get home. I could only wear them for about 10-15 minutes before they became uncomfortable. Within a few days my feet started to loosen up and ache less. After a couple weeks, my feet felt great through out the day and I added sprinting back into the program. I was able to wear them for longer stretches. I noticed that my toes would become more spread out naturally without wearing them.
The following are three pictures;
Before I put on the toe stretchers:
After having them on for a couple hours , at this point I forget they are on sometimes.
Now if you notice from the first one to the third one, their is way more space between my toes. Yes they look like hobbit feet no matter what, but they are more evenly space out hobbit feet. I think my pinky toe is forever jacked from being in western footware most of my life. I have wide feet and always had a hard time finding wide enough shoes. It looks like it doesn't even belong and I wouldn't be surprised if in a 100 years industrialized societies will "evolve" to the point where they "lose" the pinky toe.
Until then take care of your feet. Also use strategies I laid out in My Ankle Rehab program.
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