Just to be clear, my response wasn't really connected to George's. You're
supposed to grip the floor with your toes, as far as I understand, but this is the just the only thing I could think of about Sanchin that might stimulate the classical gouty toe:
http://www.merck.com/mmpe/multimedia/Photo1sec04ch35.html?Ref=n&ItemId=Photo1sec04ch35&RefId=x&Speed=256&Plugin=WMP&Error=
What I found before I got treated was that, with uric acid crystals deposited in that joint, I could manufacture a gout attack simply by "stirring the pot", e.g. banging the toe lightly on something or just overusing it. My problem was bad enough that I also got gout attacks in other places, most notably the small bursa sacks behind the heel underneath the Achilles tendon (it's call retrocalcaneal bursitis when you have inflammation there). Very, very painful, that. Now that I've kept my uric acid levels low for a year and a half, the crystals seem to be gone, so if I abuse my joints they usually just get sore. I.e., damage to the big toe joint from previous gout attacks may also make it somewhat sore when it is overused. That would be more of a dull pain than the sharp pain you get with a true gout attack. Most people don't know it, but gout is considered the most painful form of arthritis, at least of the most common forms, so the difference between osteoarthritis and a true gout attack is not subtle, in my experience.
Anyway, I guess I'm rambling now. It makes sense to go easy on the toes. Now that I think of it, it also makes sense to make sure your weight is borne by the whole foot, not one side or the other, or front or back. This would be in the spirit of George's comment, as unevenly weighting the foot is incorrect, an example of where doing it wrong might cause problems to less-forgiving feet.