09/03/2026
♿ That tiny movement of your big toe can reveal something about your nervous system.
🚹
The extensor hallucis longus is the muscle primarily responsible for extending the great toe upward.
🧠 Its motor supply travels through the deep fibular nerve, with an important contribution from the L5 nerve root.
If😎 L5 motor function becomes impaired, clinicians may detect reduced strength when the person tries to lift the big toe against resistance.
⚡ L5-related symptoms may also involve parts of the:
➡️ Lateral lower leg
➡️ Dorsum of the foot
➡️ Great-toe region
But🌡️ a weak big toe does not automatically diagnose L5 radiculopathy.
Other⛔ possibilities include peripheral nerve injury, local muscle or tendon problems, pain-related inhibition, and other neurological conditions.
🔎 That is why neurological assessment combines strength, sensation, reflexes, symptom distribution, and movement testing.⚠️
Doctor of physical therapy
