Not much seems to be written about toes but they are incredibly important little appendages at the end of our feet. The great toe is a lever to help push us forward, and the other 4 toes are for balance. In our practice we often see several toes being used to hold shoes on, as evidenced by toe prints in the front of shoes. It is our observation that toes are not that intelligent and can only perform one task at a time. If a person choses to hold their shoe on with their toes then the toes can no longer be used to balance the person. For many the toes holding the shoe on just puts a little more tension on the foot. For elders who are already of balance, the additional removal of those balancing toes could be the difference between a good life and being confined to a wheel chair or worse, fracturing a hip. So I invite you to look at your toes and ask them to prioritize balance over shoe holding on tasks. The shoe can be attached using other methods such as strapping or shoe lacing. Here is a helpful hint – if your heal is lifting in your shoe when you walk, the only way you are going to hold that shoe on is with your toes. it is therefore important to your good health to secure your heel – have fun K8
