Do You Have a Longer Second Toe

As you will recall a longer second toe often times means more foot stress. Foot stress can lead to stresses in other parts of the body such as the musclo-skeletal system but it can also impact your energy levels as well.

So what do you do about a longer second toe since sawing it off doesn't seem practical?

1) Good shoes are a must. You need a roomy enough toe box to allow your toe to stretch out and not collide with the tip of your shoe.

2) Rock and roll your feet. If you caught my earlier blog this is a simple exercise for breaking up the stress patterns in not only the forefoot but also the middle part of the foot where longer second toes tends to lock this joint. If you didn't catch the last blog here is a simple version.

Stand with your feet about shoulder width wide. Bend your knees slightly and rock side to side rolling over your feet. If you have problems with balance hold onto the back of a chair. (You can even use two chairs.) do it for several seconds and try to do it several times a day particularly if you are in a standing profession.

3) Calf stretches. Again I mentioned this earlier but let me repeat. The calf muscles attempt to pull the foot flat while the foot tries to maintain an arch. So loosening the calf muscles also loosening the foot as well. Stretch the calf muscles daily if not several times a day.

4) Roll your feet on a simple foot roller. Rolling your feet causes the plantar muscles (the muscles on the bottom of the foot) to relax. There are a wide variety of foot roller styles to choose from. Use your roller daily to break up the pattern of stress associated with a longer second toe. Remember interrupt the stress and do it frequently.

5) Find a good reflexologist to work on your feet. This is an investment but like good shoes it is a good investment. And it is so soothing.

Next blog I plan to talk about an ancient technique that can be very helpful with longer second toes and the stress that comes with them. It is called takifumi and it is the hottest thing in Asia right now.