Fisioterapia Eimantas

Most health and fitness professionals overlook the importance of proper foot and toe function. Yet, these areas —hidden away in our shoes—play a crucial role in our overall movement and well-being.

Think about it: our feet are as intricate and vital as our hands, yet we often confine them to rigid, sensory-deprived environments—similar to wearing mittens on our hands all day. Is it any wonder then that foot dysfunction is so common?

Take the big toe, for instance. It’s the driver of our foot’s mechanics, yet it often doesn't receive the extension stress it needs due to our footwear choices. This can contribute to issues like plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, and anterior hip pain.

If you are experiencing these problems, consider the role of the big toe in their condition. Let's take a step toward healthier, happier feet!

The illustration simply highlights the ideal range of motion, although the range of motion in the top, is hard to reach, it should be a good guideline and something we ALL had from childhood.

45° and above is an ideal range of motion in our toes, anything under this should have daily mobility drills applied to improve range of motion.

An overworking pectoralis minor can cause rounded shoulders, head forward posture, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and scapular dysfunction.

When a person breathes through the mouth, it creates a domino effect throughout the orofacial system.

This means that what you do with your tongue, including how you rest it, can affect the entire body. Bad tongue posture can have a negative effect on your eyes, nose, head, neck, shoulders, and of course, teeth.

Improper tongue posture can lead to:

-Sleep Apnea

-TMJD

-Problems with Vision

-Bad Body Posture

-Tooth Damage

Constant pressure on the teeth can cause teeth to shift, become crooked, create a bad bite, and even result in habitual teeth grinding (which can create a whole host of problems on its own).

The good news is that plenty can be done about this- whether the patient is a child OR an adult.

Here are the simple steps to keeping proper tongue posture:

-Keep your lips together

-Keep your teeth together (lightly touching, called "butterfly bite")

-Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth in a suction hold (as much of your tongue as possible up on your palate).

In addition to this, using a functional activator is a great way to get the root cause and allow the airway and jaw to grow to their full genetic potential.

The gluteal muscles have an essential function to counteract an anterior pelvic tilt.

But what causes weak glutes?

Factors such as sitting down for long periods can result in the hip flexors becoming chronically tight and overactive.

But did you know that your foot posture heavily influences your pelvis position?

Let's take a closer look.

When the foot hits the ground, a series of events extending throughout the body is set into motion.

The foot functions as one link in a biomechanical kinetic chain, where movement at one joint influences movement at other joints in the chain.

As the base of this chain, the foot is subject to the forces of ground contact with every step, cushioning the body on landing and launching the frame forward immediately thereafter.

When we have a foot imbalance, the glutes can be deactivated -and we begin to lose our ability to stand upright efficiently.

Common indicators of postural imbalances also include head tilt, shoulder tilt, hip tilt and compromised sagittal plane. All can lead to low-back pain, neck pain, and increased wear on joint tissues.

Here is a simple way to activate inhibited glutes.

-First, lay on your back with your knees bent.
-Keep your core braced. And without arching your lower back, squeeze your butt muscles to get them engaged first.
-Then, lift up while keeping your glutes contracted.
-At the top, squeeze your glutes as hard as possible for about 5 seconds before coming back down.

Regular physical activity has an impressive impact on health – it strengthens the heart, improves mood, and helps maintain a healthy weight. What types of physical exercises do you enjoy the most? 🏋️‍♀️
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From birth, your tongue is actually connected to your toes through an intricate network of connective tissue known as fascia.
If your tongue is not resting correctly in your mouth due to mouth breathing, things can get out of alignment in your mouth and the rest of your body.
Tongue posture can lead to a foot imbalance and vice versa because the tongue guides all myofascial continuity structures that run from the inner arch of the foot up through the middle of the body to the tongue and jaw muscles.
When the tongue sits on top of the palate, it seals the oral cavity and holds the throat open like a tent. These muscles support the neck, keep your posture straight, help you breathe, and maintain your posture upright.
Your tongue also acts as a rudder and support system through a fascial line, and when the tongue is down, we breathe through our mouth, and the head falls forward due to lack of support, which leads to poor posture and increased energy expenditure.
For better core support and spinal, hip, and leg strength, you need to work on your tongue posture!
Try these swallowing exercises:
1. Extend your tongue to the bumpy part on the top of your mouth right behind your teeth.
2. Then curl your tongue toward the back of your mouth as far as possible.
3. Hold for a few seconds.
4. Repeat five times.
In addition to this, a Functional Activator is a great tool that can be used to improve neck posture through tongue positioning.

Deep breathing, especially through the nose, is a foundational pillar of health and poor posture affects your breathing pattern.
Diaphragmatic breathing is difficult because of the restrictions around the chest.
Every breath you take sends
"Interceptive" signals to you brain, from within the lungs, heart and other organs. All report on the quality of your breathe to the insula (the brains interoceptive cortex).
Now, if you have poor posture, what happens?
The intercostal muscles and diaphragm can't contract well to create a good vacuum--with the abdomen compressed; your organs flat out can't get out of the way. As a result, you don't take in nearly as much air as your lungs can. Your weak abs also do a sucky job pushing what air you get back out.
A 2006 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation study showed that poor posture (slumping) produced the worst lung capacity and expiratory flow compared to regular sitting and a posture designed to mimic standing spinal alignment.
Without enough 02, you're at risk for issues like fatigue and even stress on your heart.
That can activate a more overall stress response through the body, elevating cortisol.
Elevated cortisol is associated with a host of conditions, such as weight gain, mood swings, and trouble sleeping.
It also links to a shutdown of the brain's executive functions, meaning you can forget about great decision making or real focus.
Here's a good, basic diaphragmatic breathing exercise:
Lie down on your back. Let your chest open naturally
I Inhale slowly. Focus on your abdomen coming up and pressing against your hand.
I Exhale smoothly, tightening your abdominal muscles.
You should start by doing this exercise 5 to 10 minutes at a time 3 to 4 times a day.

Many therapists are unaware of the connection between the feet and the hips!
When a foot pronates, your hip on that same side moves down and anteriorly. With a supinated foot, the opposite happens.
If you understand this, it should make sense that hip issues that are stemming from their locked and adapted foot posture!

This is why fixing someone's feet can unlock their rotated pelvis and address sciatica.
If the body is not correctly aligned, some parts must work harder to support posture and maintain balance. Similarly, poor form when exercising can cause some muscles and bones to overcompensate, leading to supination.
Although supination and pronation are a natural part of movethe gait cycle, too much of either motion can lead to an uneven gait and result in complications, such as pain, swelling, and hip misalignment.
Proper footwear, postural insoles, and regular foot stimulation can all help.