Can people move each toe individually?
“Most people can't move their toes individually,” he explains. “It's not because you're weak, but because you've lost coordination.” Start in your bare feet and drive your big toe down and “through the floor,” Dicharry explains. At the same time, lift your smaller toes and hold for a few seconds.
However humans have toes for a reason and they should be able to move separately: to enable grip, strength in other part of the lower body, and balance. The less your toes move, the more they are likely to operate as a block.
Especially the thumb and the little finger, each has 4 separate muscles in the hand called the thenar and hypothenar muscles respectively for finer movements. In contrast, the muscles of the toes except the great toe have a common bulk for their action. Hence when we try to move one toe, they move together.
Motor Control
Did you know that your feet have dexterity? Virtually any motion you can perform with your fingers, excluding your thumb, your toes should be able to replicate.
Independent Toe Extensions
Sit in a chair with bare feet on the floor. Keeping your lesser toes on the floor, raise your big toes as high as possible, pause, tap your big toe to the floor. Repeat the exercise with your big toe on the floor, lifting your lesser toes as high as possible.
The short answer is yes. There are all kinds of benefits to any body movement in general, but here are a few reasons why you should wiggle your toes frequently: Shoes that are too tight can move out of their natural alignment.
Of all your toes, your big toes are the most important. They play the most critical role in maintaining your balance. They also bear the most weight when standing. Your big toes can bear almost twice as much weight as the other toes combined.
Your toes need wiggle room so that you don't get blisters, calluses or damaged toenails. You should be able to wiggle your toes comfortably in the toe box and if you aren't sure how much room is enough, use the “rule of thumb” when purchasing new shoes.
1. Toe Strength– Your toes should be as strong as your fingers. Place your fingers under your toes and curl your toes, then resist your toes from curling. If you can easily straighten your toes against this pressure your toes are very weak.
Note that the muscle to the lesser toes for each action is one, but the tendons are many. The muscle contracts and pulls on all of the tendons at the same time, thus moving the toes. Since the big toe has its own muscles all to itself, it can move independently.
Should you move your big toe independently?
Can you move your big toe independently from the other toes? It is important for it to move up and down separately of the other toes. You should also be able to move it away from the others laterally. Take off your shoes and sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
It's ok if you can't, because an astonishing 53% of the population cannot touch their toes. This is an incredibly high percentage. If we take a look at what needs to happen biomechanically we can further understand why someone wouldn't be able to touch their toes.
It's called “happy feet” for a reason, as excess energy is spilled out to our feet. According to Harvard Medical School, wiggling toes even has one extra benefit: it can strengthen your toes and decrease the risk of injury.