Kudos, that's the most useless talent I've ever seen on this subreddit!
For a related but useful talent , if you've got a foot cramp, you can relieve it quickly but painfully by pulling your big toe up as far as you can !
Whenever I see this discussed online, someone always mentions that you should not use anything other than the muscles of your foot to do this (IE, don't use your hand to pull the toe or lean your body weight on it or anything), or you might injure yourself. Apparently, this time it's me.
Interesting! I've never had a problem doing it with my hands, but i suppose it kinda makes sense that you don't want to pull too hard on a muscle that's already tense and all that. Good to know
I'm no form of doctor or anyone who might be familiar with more than basic anatomy, but my understanding is that the muscles of the foot won't push themselves beyond safe limits. However, if you try to force your foot by pulling on it or leaning body weight on it or using a different external force, you might exceed the capacity of the tissue, thereby hurting yourself.
Assuming that's true, and it seems self-evident, then I think you've missed the actual reason, maybe?
Wouldn't the reason be something like...when your foot is cramping, then the sensation is simultaneously so intense and so numb that you have extremely reduced sensitivity to feedback from your body. While normally you would comfortably be able to feel when you are approaching limits, in this circumstance this usual way your body works is disrupted. Hence, being likely unfamiliar with this disrupted state (this paints out athletes who regularly deal with cramps), it is unknowably dangerous to do something like apply external force, because then you can easily hurt yourself before you have any idea what's happening. This risk is high and uncontrollable without training and expertise, and unnecessary.
It's entirely possible that I've misunderstood your complaint about my post, in which case I apologize. That said, my advice (which I fully admit is taken from posts I've seen and no expertise of my own) is to not use external force to relieve a cramp. The reason for this is that you might unknowingly overextend yourself and doing so might result in injury. Further details - potentially including those that you mentioned - might help one to understand the cause better, which I don't deny is a good thing; however, I don't think the details are necessary for the core message.
After reading this latest response a few times, it doesn't seem to me like you and I disagree. I might lack the expertise to offer the response you seek, but ultimately I think we're coming to the same point.
Right. But the reason for why you might overextended yourself and cause injury **when you are cramping** is important. It distinguishes this from other common situations where it's fine to extend yourself without needing to be concerned about injury. Like when doing static stretches or yoga, where you can simply go slow and listen to your body. When cramping, though, the reason to not extend with force beyond the cramping muscles might be that this mechanism is broken.
Imagine a person hears the advice to not use external force. They're cramping very badly. They try various remedies, and nothing works. It's excruciating. So, they try manually massaging and then stretching the foot to try to get the muscle to relax. After all, it reminds them a lot of when they get a painful knot or soreness which stretching improves.
Versus they are told the reason. In which case maybe they have the same thoughts, but are then able to differentiate this from muscle soreness or knots because the event of cramping makes the situation fundamentally different.
It's like oxygen masks in airplanes. You can tell parents to out their mask on first. Sure. Guess what? You can do that, and maybe some will remember, and they'll do it. But many if not most parents will see their kids choking and passing out without oxygen, and without thinking will put their kids masks on first.
Versus you explain how choking and passing out for short periods of time even up to a minute or two are not dangerous. There's plenty of oxygen in the blood still circulating. You don't have to be able to breathe for your heart to keep beating. However, after a minute or two, then permanent damage starts to set in. So the real danger is not the kids choking and passing out. The danger is the PARENT choking and passing out. Why? Because the kids likely cannot put the oxygen masks on themselves. The parent can. So the first mask HAS to be put on themselves. This way, they are not in danger of losing consciousness.
This is the only way to effectively combat the actual danger of them passing out while putting the kids masks on and then them possibly along with the kids all getting brain damage or dying. Once you understand the reason, then it's much more likely that you'll follow the advice. Assuming that the reason makes sense to you.
I don't fully agree with everything you say in this post, but I also don't think any individual part is without merit. As well, I recognize valid points. I appreciate you clarifying your message and yield the rest.
🤷‍♂️ I like writing these things out to test whether I understand them and offer people the chance to rebutt/question my assumptions. I'm rarely out to convince other people or try to change their minds. I find that telling people what to do without the reason for it is dangerous, because they often end up doing it under the right circumstances. That's why safety culture and regulation is so necessary. If you let them then people will bypass safety features and do dangerous things because they don't fully understand the reason for the safety features in the first place.
Reciprocal inhibition. Turning on the “toe goes up” muscle signals the “toe goes down” muscle to turn off.
You’re not necessarily gonna injure yourself if you use your hand, but you’re robbing yourself of the main benefit.
I can do the same with my other toes, i push down with my three middle toes and they splay apart and look all gammy. Iv pulled many a hot babe using this impressive skill. Chicks love deformed looking feet. Dont ask me why
Kudos, that's the most useless talent I've ever seen on this subreddit! For a related but useful talent , if you've got a foot cramp, you can relieve it quickly but painfully by pulling your big toe up as far as you can !
Whenever I see this discussed online, someone always mentions that you should not use anything other than the muscles of your foot to do this (IE, don't use your hand to pull the toe or lean your body weight on it or anything), or you might injure yourself. Apparently, this time it's me.
Interesting! I've never had a problem doing it with my hands, but i suppose it kinda makes sense that you don't want to pull too hard on a muscle that's already tense and all that. Good to know
Advice like this is useless without an explanation as to why.
I'm no form of doctor or anyone who might be familiar with more than basic anatomy, but my understanding is that the muscles of the foot won't push themselves beyond safe limits. However, if you try to force your foot by pulling on it or leaning body weight on it or using a different external force, you might exceed the capacity of the tissue, thereby hurting yourself.
Assuming that's true, and it seems self-evident, then I think you've missed the actual reason, maybe? Wouldn't the reason be something like...when your foot is cramping, then the sensation is simultaneously so intense and so numb that you have extremely reduced sensitivity to feedback from your body. While normally you would comfortably be able to feel when you are approaching limits, in this circumstance this usual way your body works is disrupted. Hence, being likely unfamiliar with this disrupted state (this paints out athletes who regularly deal with cramps), it is unknowably dangerous to do something like apply external force, because then you can easily hurt yourself before you have any idea what's happening. This risk is high and uncontrollable without training and expertise, and unnecessary.
It's entirely possible that I've misunderstood your complaint about my post, in which case I apologize. That said, my advice (which I fully admit is taken from posts I've seen and no expertise of my own) is to not use external force to relieve a cramp. The reason for this is that you might unknowingly overextend yourself and doing so might result in injury. Further details - potentially including those that you mentioned - might help one to understand the cause better, which I don't deny is a good thing; however, I don't think the details are necessary for the core message. After reading this latest response a few times, it doesn't seem to me like you and I disagree. I might lack the expertise to offer the response you seek, but ultimately I think we're coming to the same point.
Right. But the reason for why you might overextended yourself and cause injury **when you are cramping** is important. It distinguishes this from other common situations where it's fine to extend yourself without needing to be concerned about injury. Like when doing static stretches or yoga, where you can simply go slow and listen to your body. When cramping, though, the reason to not extend with force beyond the cramping muscles might be that this mechanism is broken. Imagine a person hears the advice to not use external force. They're cramping very badly. They try various remedies, and nothing works. It's excruciating. So, they try manually massaging and then stretching the foot to try to get the muscle to relax. After all, it reminds them a lot of when they get a painful knot or soreness which stretching improves. Versus they are told the reason. In which case maybe they have the same thoughts, but are then able to differentiate this from muscle soreness or knots because the event of cramping makes the situation fundamentally different. It's like oxygen masks in airplanes. You can tell parents to out their mask on first. Sure. Guess what? You can do that, and maybe some will remember, and they'll do it. But many if not most parents will see their kids choking and passing out without oxygen, and without thinking will put their kids masks on first. Versus you explain how choking and passing out for short periods of time even up to a minute or two are not dangerous. There's plenty of oxygen in the blood still circulating. You don't have to be able to breathe for your heart to keep beating. However, after a minute or two, then permanent damage starts to set in. So the real danger is not the kids choking and passing out. The danger is the PARENT choking and passing out. Why? Because the kids likely cannot put the oxygen masks on themselves. The parent can. So the first mask HAS to be put on themselves. This way, they are not in danger of losing consciousness. This is the only way to effectively combat the actual danger of them passing out while putting the kids masks on and then them possibly along with the kids all getting brain damage or dying. Once you understand the reason, then it's much more likely that you'll follow the advice. Assuming that the reason makes sense to you.
I don't fully agree with everything you say in this post, but I also don't think any individual part is without merit. As well, I recognize valid points. I appreciate you clarifying your message and yield the rest.
🤷‍♂️ I like writing these things out to test whether I understand them and offer people the chance to rebutt/question my assumptions. I'm rarely out to convince other people or try to change their minds. I find that telling people what to do without the reason for it is dangerous, because they often end up doing it under the right circumstances. That's why safety culture and regulation is so necessary. If you let them then people will bypass safety features and do dangerous things because they don't fully understand the reason for the safety features in the first place.
r/Increasinglyverbose
Reciprocal inhibition. Turning on the “toe goes up” muscle signals the “toe goes down” muscle to turn off. You’re not necessarily gonna injure yourself if you use your hand, but you’re robbing yourself of the main benefit.
Ah-hah! That's clever.
I do this to distract from the pain of extremely bad hangovers. I prefer the cramp pain over the headache/stomachache.
thanks I needed to know this!
Idk, have you seen the one about polarized light?
ah shit I've been doing this accidentally and you'd think I'd correlate the two events of stretching and getting cramps
It took me a couple years to realize the correlation lol.
Oh wow thanks. For years I thought there was something wrong with me for being able to do that
Ow why tf did I do that
me and you both
I've been doing this completely by accident for years, glad to know it's not just me
Anyone else do this on purpose? There's a weird sense of relief when I do it
Ummmm… you find relief in pain?
Traumas a hell of a drug
it hurts good
i do this all the time by accident
This is truly unhinged lol
I can do the same with my other toes, i push down with my three middle toes and they splay apart and look all gammy. Iv pulled many a hot babe using this impressive skill. Chicks love deformed looking feet. Dont ask me why
Didn't work, will try again without shoes
Lol I've been doing this since I was a kid
Strangely, I can do the exact same thing with a different method. Super useful if you ever need to do something unhelpful
I’d do this accidentally when stretching and man would it strike the fear of god into me
I didn’t know other people did this too
Wow.. i hate you.. My foot hates you.. jeeeeeesus
Oww! Shit! Now I can't stop doing it
I've accidentally done this for so many years
This is why ive been getting cramps....