It issaid that the human species was able to evolve so fast and get to its present level, not only obviously because of the brain/size ratio, but also because of one of the fingers of the hand: the thumb. Without the opposable thumb, the brain alone probably would not have been stimulated properly and our reasoning skills would not have developed as well. Here, there is another finger of our body that has been of great importance and still holds it, and that is the counterpart of the thumb of the hand, the so-called big thumb, in fact, or to put it correctly: the big toe.
The best skills of reasoning and manipulating objects would have been of little use to man at the dawn of civilization if he had not been able to run as fast as he could and as well as he could, and in this it is the big toe that has played and still plays a key role.
While the position of the whole foot is indeed important, however, it is the movement of the joint of this toe that provides the foot with the stability it needs.
HOW THE BIG TOE WORKS
It is a mechanical issue. At the moment of thrust, the natural movement of the foot-whether it is free or inside a shoe-leads it to make a rotation inward and to the toe, which is the area put under the most tension until the moment of release. Once the jump is made, the big toe returns to its original position, releasing muscles and tendons and allowing the foot to prepare and relax for the next landing and subsequent restart, in which the mechanism is reactivated.
As mentioned, it is purely mechanical, and a malfunction of this single, small part of our body is capable of changing the stress load on the forefoot, which inevitably affects the sole, heel, Achilles tendon and on up to the knees and hips. In short, on the whole locomotor apparatus.
How to keep it efficient at all times
However, it is possible to work on the mobility of the big toe and make sure that the movements are kept smooth and precise, such as massaging and trying to extend and bend the big toe-but it also applies to the other toes-with your hands, or by performing stretching exercises involving both the front of the foot and the heel.
The easiest and fastest to do? Stand barefoot and spaced about six inches apart (not feet together, then) in front of a wall, place your hands on the wall so that they remain stationary, and then lift yourself up on your toes for five seconds, then slowly bring your heel back down to the floor, ten times. In addition to alternately extending and relaxing muscles and stimulating circulation, you will allow the joints of the big toe and other toes to move freely and take back some of the space that shoes inevitably take away from them. You will see that running will benefit, and not only that.
(Main image credits: joaquincorbalan on DepositPhotos.com)