| Article written on April 26th, 2016 at 08:57am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |
Recently, I had the pleasure of creating several videos with local Physical Therapist, Chris Wolfe. Chris is the Director of Physical Therapy at Star PT in Green Hills, and also a distance athlete himself. That combination provides so much value which he thankfully shares with us.
After throwing out several worthwhile topics on areas that runners could improve, we came to the conclusion that the great toe may be at the top of the list.
Listen, if you don’t have proper flexibility, mobility, and control at the great toe, you just aren’t performing to your full potential. This is an area that I consistently evaluate on every person I work with because it often goes un-noticed and may display as an issue elsewhere throughout the kinetic chain. If you exhibit any of the following problems, the great toe is worth taking a better look at: poor balance, lack of explosiveness, plantar fasciitis, metatarsal pain, calf pain, hamstring pain, etc.
In the following video, Chris shows us how to assess the great toe from both a flexibility and mobility standpoint. And if you find limitations, he provides several simple strategies to improve range of motion.
Stay tuned for Part 2, as Chris touches on how to improve balance, strength, and neuromuscular control of the great toe.
By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART
Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART 
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