Toe Raises Exercise and Benefits

Thomas Gehrmann Colorado Springs

According to Chiropractor - Thomas Gehrmann, doing toe raises on a regular basis is a great way to take care of your feet. This exercise only takes a few minutes a day and you can even do it while watching TV.

Toe raises exercise mainly work muscles in the lower leg, especially the tibialis anterior, which is located in the outer surface of the tibia, or shin. This muscle is responsible for flexing the foot upward, as well as extending the toes.

How to do Toe Raises

Toe raises can be done every day, at least one to two times per day.

You can do them at any time, including when you’re sitting down, standing in line, working, or watching TV, recommended by Thomas Gehrmann.

How to do Seated Toe Raises

1. Start seated with your feet flat on the floor. Rest your hands on your lap or the sides of your chair.

2. Lift your toes on your right foot, keeping the left foot planted firmly on the ground.

3. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.

4. Lower your toes.

5. Repeat 10 to 15 times on each foot for a total of 3 sets.

To ease into this exercise, you can start by lifting only your toes, flexing at the ball of your foot. Once you feel comfortable, you can try a full toe raise, which involves lifting your foot so that only your heel stays on the ground.

How to do Standing Toe Raises

For standing toe raises, find a space that you can stand on securely. That can be:

• on the floor
• on a step with your toes hanging out over the edge
• on an incline with your toes lower than your heels

From there, lift and lower, following the same steps from the seated toe raise.

What are the benefits of Toe Raises?

They Strengthen the Ankle

Keeping your ankles strong and healthy helps you in the long run.

Both the leg and foot are made up of tendons, muscles, and ligaments that withstand the stress of movement every day.

The largest tendon in the body, for example, is the Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone. Without it, doing things like walking would be very difficult.

By using these tendons, nearby muscles, and ligaments for toe raises, you work on range of motion and improve your overall foot health. In some cases, you can even relieve foot and ankle pain.

This makes injuries such as shin splints, a common concern for runners, and stress fractures less likely.

They Help with Balance

Strong ankles and shins help with balance, making you feel more stabilized as you do everyday things, such as stand, walk, run, or jump.

Researchers had the participants complete several activities, including modified heel raises without the use of the toes and a single-leg stance on the toes. In the end, it was found that the dancers rely on their use of toe flexors for balance more than non-dancers.

Thomas Gehrmann recommended that using modified heel raises with toes off the edge of a block to train muscles that control plantar flexion should be studied further as a nonsurgical treatment option for dancer’s tendinitis.