Treat Your Feet: The Key to a Happy Day

Our feet are the most overused part of the entire body, but often get overlooked when trying to maintain our health.  Activities we do every day from walking to running, require our feet to act as shock absorbers. Failure of the feet to absorb shock and distribute weight evenly can lead to foot pain, knee pain, hip pain, and back pain. Foot pain does not have to be the reason you end activities you love. With a few simple exercises at home you can get your feet into top shape!

Exercises:

A.  Calf stretch-knee straight

1. Instructions
   • Stand facing a wall with your unaffected leg forward with a slight bend at the knee.
   • Your affected leg is straight and behind you, with the heel flat and the toes pointed in slightly.
   • Keep both heels flat on the floor and press your hips forward toward the wall.
   • Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and then relax for 30 seconds.
   • Repeat 3 times.
2. What it accomplishes
   • Stretches the calf muscle
   • Can reduce stress on the calf

B. Calf Stretch-knee bent

1. Instructions
   • Stand facing a wall with your unaffected leg forward with a slight bend at the knee
   • Your affected leg is slightly bent at the knee and is behind you, with the heel flat and the toes pointed in slightly
   • Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and then relax for 30 seconds.
   • Repeat 3 times
2. What it accomplishes
   • Stretches the calf muscle
   • Can reduce stress around the knee, ankle, and foot

C. Calf Raises

1. Instructions
   • Stand with your weight evenly distributed over both feet. Hold onto the back of a chair or a wall for balance.
   • Lift your both feet off of the floor. Keep your knees straight while performing the exercise.
   • Raise the heel of your affected foot as high as you can, then lower.
   • Repeat 30 times.
   • As you progress, repeat the above instructors but perform one leg at a time.
2. What it accomplishes
   • Strengthens your calf muscles
   • Improves support for the lower extremity

D. Marble Pick up

1. Instructions
   • Sit with both feet flat and place 20 marbles on the floor in front of you.
   • Use your toes to pick up one marble at a time and place into a bowl.
   • Repeat until you have picked up all the marbles.
2. What it accomplishes
   • Strengthens the foot intrinsic muscles
   • Supports the arch of the foot
   • Good treatment for plantar fasciitis

E. Towel Scrunches

1. Instructions
   • Sit with one foot flat on a damp towel.
   • Grab the towel with your toes and curl the towel towards you
   • Perform for 3 minutes while sitting and repeat for 3 minutes standing
2. What it accomplishes
   • Strengthens the foot intrinsic muscles
   • Supports the arch of the foot
   • Good treatment for plantar fasciitis

F. Toe Stretch

1. Instructions
   • Sit barefoot and cross your left leg so that your ankle rests on your right thigh
   • Then hold your toes and bend them back toward your shin
   • Hold this stretch for 20 seconds
   • Repeat 3 times

2. What it accomplishes

• Helps the toes move through their full range of motion
• Maintaining this motion is important to avoid injury, improve balance, and decrease stress on the plantar fascia

G. Massage

1. Instructions
   • While sitting on a chair, place your right foot on top of your left thigh
   • Place both your thumbs on the top of your foot while your palms hold the bottom of your foot
   • Use your hands to gently glide the bones in your foot back and forth
2. What it accomplishes
   • Prevent joint restrictions and soft tissue adhesions
   • Restore normal joint movement

H. Balance

1. Instructions
   • Stand with one foot on a pillow for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
   • Switch feet and repeat process.
2. What it accomplishes
   • Improve stability at the foot and ankle
   • Help to prevent falls