The Most Underrated Joint In a Runner's Body

When it comes to healthy and efficient running form, there are obvious, big-picture areas to address: overall balance, core strength, posture, and foot strike to name a few. One area that is equally as important but often overlooked is the mobility of the joints in your feet. Particularly, the mobility of the big toe can have a surprisingly profound effect on your ability to run efficiently and remain injury-free.

The first joint of your big toe is called the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Mobility in this joint is vital for healthy movement and gait, and it has a significant impact not just on the feet but also the proper activation of the glutes! Its importance really cannot be emphasised enough.

When your big toe is unable to flex upwards, your body finds ways to compensate around it. For a runner, this means compensating at the push-off stage of the gait cycle. This is a very high-stress portion of the gait. Incredibly, when a runner pushes off at the end of each step, the big toes are experiencing six to seven times the force of body weight. This means that when we run, we're experiencing a lot of stress on a very small joint.

So if we want to avoid repetitive use injury, we must ensure that this joint is working well for us. A functional big toe joint needs a minimum of 30 degrees of upward flexibility, but to be a safe and effective runner, the ideal amount of flexibility is actually around 65 to 75 degrees.

In order for the big toe to function properly, another joint must first be in good working order. And that's the less obvious, extremely underrated first metatarsocuneiform joint, or what we call the first ray. The first ray must be able to move up and down freely, and also have adequate stability. If the first ray can perform all of these functions, then your big toe can work properly.

However, if your first ray cannot do those things, you can work on your big-toe mobility all day long with no effect. This is because the primary dysfunction is not being resolved. So how do you address the first ray and, as a result, improve the function of the big toe and glutes?

This exercise is designed specifically to stabilise the first ray and engage through the arch.

• Find your "tripod" (see our article about running with flat feet or high arches).
• Activate the position by drawing the front of the foot towards the heel.
• You should feel a strong contraction in the arch.
• You can imagine drawing your foot up like a tent or trying to grasp a marble with the arch of your foot.

This is the movement of the foot upwards and closer to the shin. Ankle dorsiflexion is a basic prerequisite for all gaits.

• Begin in a half-kneeling position.
• Engage a short foot position in the forward foot.
• Keep the knee cap straight over the second toe.
• Sink into the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds.
• Make sure the hips do not sway to either side.
• Activate the stretch by pulling the toes towards your shin for 10 seconds.
• Sink the knee forward over the second toe for another 10 to 15 seconds.
• Repeat this three to five times, then switch sides and repeat.

This exercise is designed to activate and strengthen the posterior tibialis and will help the first ray to move up and down.

• As with all of these exercises, this is best done barefoot.
• Place a small ball behind and below your ankle bones.
• Start by slightly leaning forward to activate your calf muscles.
• Take the weight off your heels and drive them together into the ball. This will activate the posterior tibialis deep in the calf.
• Lift the heels as high as you can while scooping your heels together.
• Continuously push off the toes while keeping the entire forefoot on the ground.
• Slowly lower back down.
• Feel the rotation that is happening at the tibia all the way into the hips.

Looking for more ways to prevent injury? Check out Dr. Andersson's favourite warm-ups for runners.