WEBVTT - What Does Your Pinky Toe Actually Do?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Volga Bam Here. Your pinky toe

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<v Speaker 1>might seem like it serves no real function but to

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<v Speaker 1>look cute. But if you were to ever stub, fracture

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<v Speaker 1>or otherwise injure it, you'd find out Otherwise you might

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<v Speaker 1>be surprised at how much an injured fifth toe affects

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<v Speaker 1>your everyday life. The pinky is part of a complex

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<v Speaker 1>system within the foot. Every standard human foot is composed

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<v Speaker 1>of thirty joints, twenty eight bones, and more than a

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<v Speaker 1>hundred tendons and ligaments. All these moving parts can make

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<v Speaker 1>any foot injury extra unpleasant. For the article, this episode

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<v Speaker 1>is based on How's to fork spoke by email with

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Diti Gupta, jah lead physician at the online medical

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<v Speaker 1>consulting platform just dot dot com. She said, any pain

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<v Speaker 1>in that area is definitely high since it's mostly muscle

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<v Speaker 1>and blood, leading to more inflammation and aches when swollen.

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<v Speaker 1>And while you can learn to live without this little piggy,

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<v Speaker 1>it's easier to have one because it works in concert

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<v Speaker 1>with the other toes and the rest of the foot

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<v Speaker 1>to get us where we need to go, providing balance

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<v Speaker 1>and helping with smooth forward propulsion. We normally shift our

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<v Speaker 1>weight a little from the outside of the foot to

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<v Speaker 1>the middle of the foot as we walk. This motion

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<v Speaker 1>helps us push off the ground. When the pinky is

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<v Speaker 1>damaged in some way, the propulsion is limited, leading to

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<v Speaker 1>an affected gait or even falls due to a lack

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<v Speaker 1>of balance. Our reliance on the foot's tripod of balance,

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<v Speaker 1>the heel, the pinky toe knuckle, and the big toe

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<v Speaker 1>knuckle is pretty critical. Loss of any one of these

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<v Speaker 1>elements can significantly inhibit a person's ability to walk or jump, run, skip,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. And it doesn't have to be some

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<v Speaker 1>kind of blunt trauma. Even the type of shoes you

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<v Speaker 1>wear can impact your little toe. How stuff Works also

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<v Speaker 1>spoke by email with pediatrist Dr. Mark Pinkis. He noted

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<v Speaker 1>that narrow toed shoes are pinky killers. Quote in fashion footwear.

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<v Speaker 1>The pinky toe can rub against the inside of the

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<v Speaker 1>shoe until a bursto, which is a fluid filled sack

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<v Speaker 1>between the skin and bone, develops. This malady is known

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<v Speaker 1>as birsitis, and it really hurts. The potential pain doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>end there, however, Pinkus said, pinky toes are famous for

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<v Speaker 1>developing soft tissue lesions on the top tip or in

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<v Speaker 1>between the toes. These lesions are called corns. Corns have

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<v Speaker 1>been likened to having a constant rock in the shoe

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<v Speaker 1>and sometimes require surgery to get rid of. But let's

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<v Speaker 1>say you do severely stub or smash your toe and

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<v Speaker 1>you fear that it's fractured. But what next. Don't try

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<v Speaker 1>to tough it out, Visit a doctor and get an

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<v Speaker 1>X ray. A fracture that isn't properly treated it could

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<v Speaker 1>subject to you to premature hearth brightness if the joint

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<v Speaker 1>is impacted. Jah said. If the little toe is severely

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<v Speaker 1>bruised or injured, it needs to be cared for based

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<v Speaker 1>on the kind of injury. If it's only superficial skin,

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<v Speaker 1>it repairs itself over time with good hygiene and antibiotic ointments.

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<v Speaker 1>If the muscle or bone is, however, injured, conservative management

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<v Speaker 1>is advised to try and preserve the defected part. Mostly

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<v Speaker 1>a splint is applied, which is a bandage that is

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<v Speaker 1>tied to the adjacent toe so that movement is restricted

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<v Speaker 1>and healing can then occur. And in the event that

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<v Speaker 1>you have to have your little toe amputated, pinkis said

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<v Speaker 1>that most people can adjust to walking without it. However,

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<v Speaker 1>he said losing a pinky can be psychologically distressing, and

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<v Speaker 1>we often refer patients to a counselor before and after

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<v Speaker 1>the procedure. Patients also may use a special custom insul

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<v Speaker 1>after the operation Site heals m. Today's episode is based

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<v Speaker 1>on the article Surprise Your pinky Too Does Serve a

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<v Speaker 1>Purpose on Housta works dot com, written by Aleio Hoyt.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio and partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with how stuff works dot com, and it's produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit

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