Home — World self-care & traditional therapies — Movement

Toe mobility and foot-intrinsic exercises

足指体操

A listing is not a recommendation.

Origin: Contemporary physiotherapy (it also overlaps with traditional toe care in Japan) · Tradition: Physiotherapy and foot self-care · Movement

What it is

Exercises that keep the intrinsic foot muscles and mobility, such as opening and bending the toes, gathering a towel, and a short-foot exercise. This is also a starting point for the video section of this site.

A short introduction (not a treatment instruction)

1. Sit and slowly open and close the toes, within a pain-free range.
2. Briefly practise towel gathering, or lightly lifting the arch.
3. Hold back when there is acute inflammation of a bunion, or a wound.

Symptoms or aims often mentioned with this practice

• Ankle or foot pain
• Balance and fall prevention
• Posture
• Cold or puffy feet

Related symptom videos

• Balance & fall prevention
• Posture

Research notes (this is not a promise of effect)

C: Preliminary, small, or lower-quality studies, or mixed results. These notes should not be over-read

There are scattered studies of intrinsic foot-muscle training and toe exercises for fall prevention and foot function, but the tasks and groups studied vary. As part of general movement advice it is reasonable.

Sources

• Cochrane: Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community