What the foot

With National Foot week this month, I am happily writing about a much forgotten and abused part of our body, that once revived, has the power to heal low back pain, fix grumpy knees and hips, restore pelvic floor tone, improve jumping, walking and running power and even cure headaches!

The humble foot, most often encased in tight little shoe coffins, needs to be mobilised, strengthened and utilised in much the same way we allow and prioritise the freedom of movement in our hands.

Being the base of support for our entire system, it has the power to either help or hinder the body, dependent completely on how we treat it.

Our body has the opportunity to move throughout the day. Even if you are a sedentary creature, you will still move to go to the loo or have a meal, but the foot stays encased in a shoe all day, with the toes pressed together and the ankle slightly plantar-flexed due to the presence of a heel (no matter how small).

Gradually this loss of mobility, strength and sensory input leads to dropped arches, bunions, early degenerative changes and a permanent shortening of the Achillies and calf muscles. And this is just the effects of shoes on a local level, the effects further up the body can be equally if not more disastrous.

For example, dropped arches can lead to an inward rolling of the knees causing mal-tracking of the knee cap, increased wear, cartilage or meniscal damage. Shortening of the Achillies reduces the ability to flex the foot at the ankle which in turn means we can’t extend (open at the front) at the hip and the glutes (buttock muscles) can’t fully engage. This results in poor alignment of the pelvis and back pain.

There are two ways to solve this:

1.     Add in corrective type exercises

2.     Change the environment for the foot

Both have to be done together to create change for the long term.

Corrective exercises:

·      Improve your awareness of the alignment of your feet; look down, when you stand or walk are your feet parallel to each other?

·      Foam roller or ball release work for the sole of the foot and the calf muscle

·      Single and Double leg Calf stretches

·      Single and Double leg Heel raises

·      Arch lifts picking up pens or marbles with your toes

Change the environment:

·      Choose minimal shoes with a wide toe box and no heel drop

·      Go barefoot as often as you can

·      Walk on a multitude of different textured surfaces and gradients

·      Wear foot alignment socks in the evenings

·      Sit on the floor more: squat, kneel, half kneel, cross-legged…

·      Stand more at work with a half foam roller under your desk for calf stretches

·      Consider getting a cobblestone mat to stand on to keep the deep intrinsic muscles of your foot working

Visit the website for video guides on floor sitting and foot and ankle exercises.

If you find these correctives difficult or are experiencing pain either in the foot or rest of the body that you think maybe influenced by the poor health of your foot, just give us a call and we can guide you towards some sole satisfaction!