Have you ever stubbed or broken a toe? It seems to take forever to heal while you hobble around a lot and easily lose your balance.
The reason you lose your balance is that the most important muscles for balance, the dorsiflexor muscles, are in the lower leg (shin) and foot. Their role is to pull the toes up so you do not trip when walking. If you have a broken toe, it is so painful to pull the toe up and this is what causes you to lose your balance and fall.
Just as important for balance are the feet, because the sensations you get from the bottom of your feet travel to the spinal cord, sending messages for you to stand up straight. This is why when you do stub or break a toe, you tend to stoop over as you hobble around.
How you can improve your balance? One way is to exercise your feet, toes and dorsiflexor muscles. Here are some ways:
■ Roll marbles with the bottom of your feet.
■ Pick up marbles one at a time with your toes and put each marble into something. Do this 20 times per foot.
■ Spread toes as far apart as possible, then curl them.
■ Keeping your leg out and to the side, draw the alphabet with your big toe. This can be done with both feet at the same time or one at a time.
■ Circle your foot at the ankle in each direction without moving your leg.
■ Flex and point your foot from the ankle.
■ For a more advanced dorsiflexsor muscles exercise, use free weights with a dorsiflexsor lifting apparatus, pulling up with your toes to lift.
Set aside some time to exercise feet, toes and dorsiflexsor muscles for improved balance.
Ruth Snyder is owner of TransFitness Personal Training in Spring Mills.
