Pointing neglected toes

LITTLE ROCK — How often do you point your toes?

In a barefoot class like Fletcher Fusion, where toe-pointing is part of the exercise, students who wear shoes most of the time can find their feet rebelling.

“I noticed toe cramps,” says Stephanie Golleher, after her first experience with Julia Taylor’s Fletcher Fusion class at Little Rock Athletic Club.

“Cramping occurs most often with the pointed foot,” Taylor says.

If a student finds his feet cramping in class, she suggests stopping the movement and flexing the foot instead. “And if that doesn’t stop it, massage the fascia on the bottom of the foot. Basically, do the opposite movement to what caused the foot cramp.

“It usually indicates a weakness in the bottoms of the feet.”

Running guru Jeff Galloway agrees, and in his books for marathoners, he recommends a daily toe-pointing exercise he calls the “toe squincher” as a strategy for preventing other problems, including plantar fasciitis. Here’s how Galloway’s Book on Running (2002) describes the “squincher”:

Point your toes, then contract the muscles very hard for seven to 10 seconds. Relax. Do this five to 10 times daily, throughout the day. “Don’t be surprised if the muscles cramp when you do it; it merely shows that the muscles are weak or tired or need work,” the book advises.

“The Jeff Galloway exercise would be good,” Taylor says. “It is easiest to start seated for foot work - legs extended or with knees bent. Even just working on articulating the foot in both directions for a few minutes each day would be good.”

She believes that lack of strength and flexibility in the feet and toes contributes to a host of foot trouble.

“People need to get barefoot, big time, they really, really do, whether it’s dance or even just doing yoga.”