As I work on this weekly upload, I often have podcasts playing in the background. Today, I’m captivated by one featuring Dr. Courtney Conley interviewed by Dr. Peter Attia, delving into her specialty—the foot!

Since I fractured my pinky toe last year, I’ve become acutely conscious of my walking stride and how my foot feels during workouts. I’ve progressed from the cumbersome post-surgery boot to a carbon steel foot insert that prevents toe flexion, and now I no longer use any inserts. I realized that my foot was causing my knee pain. Immobilizing my foot made it noticeably weaker along with my ankle and shins. I’ve become engrossed in understanding the sensory input of our feet and how it influences our overall body alignment from knees to hips, even to our jaws.

I’m eager to strengthen my feet, which means spending more time barefoot. However, my fear of re-injuring my toe makes me hesitant to go without shoes. Perhaps I should tape my pinkie toe to its neighbors to avoid catching it on furniture again. There’s nothing like a spiral fracture from hyperextending a toe to make you walk with extreme caution.