Check-Up for Foot Health

Your feet are responsible for mobility and balance. And having strong feet with dexterous toes is important for both health and fitness, said Courtney Conley, the founder of Gait Happens, a Colorado-based online education resource focused on foot health.

But most people first learn about the concept of foot strengthening after an injury, she said. Incorporating foot and toe exercises into your routine long before you develop shin splints or plantar fasciitis can help prevent those injuries and improve how you walk, especially as you age.

“Toe weakness is the single biggest predictor of falls when we get older,” Dr. Conley said.

Why foot strength is important

In some ways, simply moving through life on your feet gives them a workout, said Martin Ellman, a podiatrist at the Mayo Clinic. You engage the foot core — a network of tiny muscles in your feet that create balance and provide stability — every time you stand or walk.

• The foot should act like a tripod, said Dr. Conley. When you stand, your weight should be distributed between the heel and the base of the big and little toes (the meaty parts), with your toes splayed in order to create a strong foundation.

If the muscles within the foot or lower leg become weak and out of balance, this can create a chain reaction of problems in our feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back. Deformities, such as bunions, can also be signs that your foot muscles need attention, said Dr. Ellman.

When the toes aren’t straight and flat to the ground, the natural gait cycle is impacted. Proper alignment is especially important for the big toe, which initiates propulsion when we walk.

And flip flops without a back strap don’t help, said Dr. Conley. Constantly gripping your toes to hold a sandal in place can lead to aches and deformities that bend the toe joints, such as hammertoes or mallet toes.

How to test your foot health

— Toe dexterity

An easy way to measure your toe dexterity: Try to lift your big toe while keeping your other toes flat on the ground, and vice versa. Being able to independently move your toes, even if they lift a small amount, is a sign of healthy feet, said Mr. Dooner. If trained, your toes can be agile enough to play the piano, he said.

— Toe strength

Toe strength is measured most accurately with a toe dynamometer in a doctor’s office. But at home, you can use a credit card. Sit in a chair and place the card under your big toe. Keep your ankle directly under your knee.

Have someone try to pull the card out while you press into the toe to resist. You should feel tension under the big toe, the arch and into the lower leg. A good hold is between three and five seconds, Dr. Conley said.

Repeat, but place the card under your four smaller toes. This time, you should feel tension in the arch of your foot. If you feel any strain in your quad or hip flexor, it’s a sign you aren’t engaging your foot muscles.

You should be able to hold the card in place during both tests without lifting your heel or curling your toes.

— Weight distribution

Your footprint is a good indication of how evenly you distribute your weight across your foot’s “tripod.” The next time you’re at the beach or pool, examine your footprint after you get out of the water, she said.  When the midfoot leaves no imprint behind it can be a sign that the foot is stiff and isn’t rolling inward, or pronating, to absorb shock, said Dr. Conley.

 If you spend a lot of time on your feet or enjoy walking and running, foot strengthening exercises are particularly beneficial.