1 May 2018

WE LOVE THE BIG TOE

Your child’s future movement ability rests on their teeny, tiny Big Toe.

Why?

Four times thicker and denser than the other toes, Big Toe is the bodies’ anchor and pivot from the moment your baby starts moving, standing and then walking.

At VivoKids we love Big Toe.

Our feet are designed to propel us into movement from the ball of the foot, using the Big Toe as its axis of leverage. In this way, it’s one of the 3 (rocking) rockers used for movement: the heel rocker, the ankle rocker and finally, the Big Toe rocker.

The flexibility and strength of Big Toe is vital for healthy, skilful natural locomotion throughout our lives.

So what happens to Big Toe as kids grow?

Most people growing up in normal shoes compromise Big Toe, and it’s unable to function properly as pivot and anchor. Narrow, stiff shoes weaken Big Toe’s muscles and tendons, and if Big Toe is constantly tilted slightly up (from wearing shoes with even a very small heel) it becomes ‘lazy’, pushing the whole body out of balance.

Results can include Morton’s Foot (where the big toe recedes behind the second toe) as well as bunions that can also debilitate movement. Ungainly, uncoordinated movement and compromised posture can lead to an adulthood where physical agility and ability just slips away.

All compromised Big Toes can benefit and improve from rehab, exercise and being barefoot at any time, but with our kids’ let’s help Big Toe grow right from the start.

Left barefoot – or as close to barefoot as possible - Big Toe grows healthy, strong and stable, building the right foundation for a lifetime of movement and physicality.

Which may be why kids the world over just want to kick off their shoes whenever they can. They’re right.

A world of potential lies in that adorable Big Toe. Love it and let it grow strong!