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Foot Exercises & Relieves Methods
There are 19 intrinsic muscles in the feet, 18 of these muscles connect to your toes. We spend most of our life in shoes where are toes cannot move freely and those muscles become very weak, thus our whole foot structure is weak. The more you exercise your toes the stronger your entire feet become.
1. Toe raise, toe point, toe curl: Hold each position for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times. We recommend these for people with hammer toes or toe cramps.
2. Toe Squeeze: Place small corks between your toes and squeeze for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times. This is a good exercise if you have hammer toes or toe cramps.
3. Big toe pulls: Place a thick rubber band around both big toes and pull them away from each other, toward the smaller toes. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.
4. The golf ball roll: Roll a golf ball under the ball of your foot for 2 minutes. This is a great massage for the bottom of the foot and good for people with plantar fasciitis (heel pain syndrome), cramps or arch strain.
5. Toe Pulls: Put a thick rubber band around all of your toes and spread them. Hold 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.
6. Towel curls: Place a small towel on the floor and curl it toward you, using only your toes. You can increase the resistance by putting a weight on the end of the towel. Relax, then repeat this exercise 5 times. Try this if you have hammer toes, toe cramps, pain in the ball of your foot, or for overall strengthening.
7. Marble pickup: Place 20 marbles on the floor. Pick up one at a time with your toes and put each marble in a bowl. This is recommended for people who have pain in the ball of the foot, hammer toes, or toe cramps.
8. Sand walking: Any chance you get, take off your shoes and walk in the sand at the beach. This not only massages your feet, but strengthens your toes for general foot conditioning.
Ankle And Feet Exercises
These exercises are for flexibility, strength, and comfort.
1. Ankle Circles
Sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet bare.
Hold your feet slightly off the ground and slowly circle your ankles to the right and then to the left. Go as far in each direction as you can.
2. Towel Grabber
Sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet bare.
Spread a towel out in front of your chair.
Place your feet on the towel with your heels on the edge closest to you. Keep your heels down.
Scoot the towel back underneath your feet by pulling it with your toes as you arch your feet.
When you have done as much as you can, reverse the toe motion and scoot the towel out again.
3. Marble Pickup
Do this exercise one foot at a time.
Sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet bare.
Place several marbles on the floor between your feet. Keep your heel down and pivot your toes toward the marbles.
Pick up a marble in your toes and pivot your foot to drop the marble as far as possible from where you picked it up.
Repeat until all the marbles have been moved.
Reverse the process and return all the marbles to the starting position.
Note: If marbles are difficult, try other objects like jacks, dice, or wads of paper.
4. Foot Roll
This exercise stretches the ligaments in the arch of the foot.
Sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet bare.
Place a rolling pin (or a large dowel or closet rod) under the arch of your foot and roll it back and forth.
The Exercises for the treatment of Flat Feet are divided into two main groups:
Non-Weight Bearing (Sitting) and Weight Bearing (Standing).
Non-Weight Bearing Exercises.
- Sitting: active foot rolling. The patient tries to draw an 'O' with his/her big toe. For the right foot clockwise; for the left foot anti-clockwise.
- Sitting: trying to pick up a duster. A duster is placed under the foot, and the patient tries by using both feet to screw the duster into a ball, then inverting (raising the internal arch of) both feet, he/she tries to throw the duster into the air and catch it. Similarly the patient can be encouraged to pick up balls, match boxes, etc., with the feet.
- Sitting with strong extension of the knees: dorsi-flexion, holding them in position.
- Sitting: alternative toe clawing. The toes of one foot are actively flexed as far as possible, gripping the floor and pulling the heel of the foot two or three inches forwards. The toes are extended, and the opposite foot is similarly exercised. In other words, the toes pull the foot a short distance along the ground. Care must be taken to ensure that the patient does not push the foot along using the leg muscles.
- Sitting: sliding the sole of one foot up the leg of the other.
- Sitting: foot shortening. The foot is slightly inverted (the internal arch is raised), but the sole is not turned upwards. That is to say, the height of the arch is increased, whilst the toes are still gripping the ground.
- Sitting: foot-closing. An attempt should be made to close the foot, like a fist.
- Sitting: toe adduction and abduction. This means the toes are pulled away from then towards one-another.
- Sitting with both feet crossed and inverted. Holding them in position.
Weight Bearing Exercises.
- Walking on the outer borders of the foot. Each foot should be lifted over the other one at each step.
- Standing: heel raising and lowering to the outer borders. The patient starts with the feet inverted, raises the heels, and lowers the outer borders.
- Standing with the feet inverted. Holding this position.
- Standing on a book: the edge of which is placed immediately under the metatarso-phalangeal joints. The toes are then flexed and extended.
- Standing: foot shortening.
- Walking along a straight line.
- Correct heel and toe walking:
The patient is taught to walk with the feet along parallel lines. Any tendency towards slaying must be immediately corrected. The heels should first be placed on the ground, the outer border next, the toes finally.. The weight should not at any time in this procedure be taken on the inner border. The heel is then cleanly raised from the ground, the five metatarsals used as the fulcrum, and the big toe for a concluding propulsion to a straight leverage. The heel and toe walk brings all the muscles into equal action, and ensures normal balance.
All the above exercises should only be undertaken when the patient is rested and not tired.
The amount and frequency of the exercises would be decided by the patient's Chiropodist.
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