Top Exercises for Restoring Foot Function
"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art."
-Leonardo de Vinci
Our feet are the body's base of support. Together, the feet and ankles contain a quarter of all of the body's bones and muscles as well as over 60 joints. Our feet are designed to walk on natural surfaces, which are uneven, constantly varied, and multi textured. When walking, running, or standing barefoot, each of the foot's 33 joints contour to the shape of the ground. However, the flat, stiff soles of our shoes keep the bottom of our feet on a flat, unvaried surface. If we were to wear tight, stiff mittens that did not allow our fingers to move separate from one another, the muscles of our hands would atrophy. We would lose the functional movements in our fingers and other muscles would then compensate for the loss. In the same way, modern shoes have caused the foot muscles to atrophy, the joints to stiffen and not work independently of one another, and the skin of the feet to become tender.
If you suffer from foot pain, plantar fasciatis, knee pain, or back pain, it is likely you have misalignments in your feet. Similar to a building, if there are problems with the body’s foundation, there will be problems throughout the structure. The great news is that our bones adapt to the loads placed upon them and weak, underused muscles can be regenerated. Form follows function.
The first thing you can do to restore foot function would be to go barefoot as often as possible, making sure the surfaces you walk on are clear of any objects that could cut or puncture your skin. The next step is to purchase a pair of minimalist shoes such as Vibrams or Xero shoes that provide safety without the harmful aspects of most modern shoes. Being barefoot and wearing minimalist shoes nix the main culprits of foot weakness and misalignment, allowing the following exercises to give you the most benefit. I also recommend seeing a physical therapist who can make recommendations based on your specific needs.
-Leonardo de Vinci
Our feet are the body's base of support. Together, the feet and ankles contain a quarter of all of the body's bones and muscles as well as over 60 joints. Our feet are designed to walk on natural surfaces, which are uneven, constantly varied, and multi textured. When walking, running, or standing barefoot, each of the foot's 33 joints contour to the shape of the ground. However, the flat, stiff soles of our shoes keep the bottom of our feet on a flat, unvaried surface. If we were to wear tight, stiff mittens that did not allow our fingers to move separate from one another, the muscles of our hands would atrophy. We would lose the functional movements in our fingers and other muscles would then compensate for the loss. In the same way, modern shoes have caused the foot muscles to atrophy, the joints to stiffen and not work independently of one another, and the skin of the feet to become tender.
If you suffer from foot pain, plantar fasciatis, knee pain, or back pain, it is likely you have misalignments in your feet. Similar to a building, if there are problems with the body’s foundation, there will be problems throughout the structure. The great news is that our bones adapt to the loads placed upon them and weak, underused muscles can be regenerated. Form follows function.
The first thing you can do to restore foot function would be to go barefoot as often as possible, making sure the surfaces you walk on are clear of any objects that could cut or puncture your skin. The next step is to purchase a pair of minimalist shoes such as Vibrams or Xero shoes that provide safety without the harmful aspects of most modern shoes. Being barefoot and wearing minimalist shoes nix the main culprits of foot weakness and misalignment, allowing the following exercises to give you the most benefit. I also recommend seeing a physical therapist who can make recommendations based on your specific needs.
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Exercise 1) Calf Stretch
The calf muscles are important for overall physical health so it’s imperative that you keep them healthy. Most shoes have a positive heel, which is a heel that is set higher than the front of the foot. High heels are the easiest to spot but it is not uncommon to find children’s shoes, men’s dress shoes, and athletic shoes that have a 1 inch heel. Years of wearing shoes with heels will cause the calf muscles to shorten, which decreases their strength and can lead to a faulty gait pattern. This is a great stretch to gain back the length your calf muscles have lost over the years. |
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Exercise 2) Front Foot Stretch
If you have spent many years in flip flops you may have tight muscles in your forefoot from using your toes to hold onto the flip flops. This gripping action can eventually lead to hammertoes. The front foot stretch is great because it opens your ankles, stretches the muscles of the forefoot, and stretches the toes. Exercise 3) Toe Lift
Imagine if when you were one year old, you started putting your hands in mittens. Not just any mitten, but one that was fitted firmly to your hand so as not to allow your fingers to spread apart. Not only that but the mitten was stiff and relatively inflexible so that you couldn't bend your fingers very far forward or backwards. You wore this mitten for hours a day, sometimes for 12 hours. After 5, 10, 20, 40, or 60 years the muscles of your hand would have atrophied, no longer allowing your fingers their full range of motion. Your fingers would also be scrunched together and have lost most of their ability to move independently of each other, i.e. you would have trouble moving your pointer finger without moving your middle finger, moving your middle finger without moving your pointer and ring finger, etc. Weak foot muscles translates to weak feet, and weak feet lead to a faulty gait pattern which in turn can lead to foot pain, knee pain, and back pain. The toe lift is an excellent exercise that will help innervate long dormant foot and toe muscles and help with general foot health. Exercise 4) Toe Stretch
If you've worn tight shoes your whole life, your toes may be scrunched up together with the big toe, pointer, and middle toes facing outwards and the pinky and ring toes facing inwards. This is the early stage of a bunion and without intervention a painful situation may occur in the future. Naturally, and by naturally I mean if we grew up barefoot, our toes would have space in between each one and point straight ahead. This exercise will encourage the toes to spread apart from one another. Exercise 5) Toe squat and Ankle stretch
Most people have tight toes and inflexible ankles. This two in one exercise combo is a great way to open up the toes and ankles. Exercise 6) Tennis Ball
Our feet are designed to walk on natural surfaces. These surfaces are uneven and have different textures. Think sandy beach vs mountain hiking and the little dips and "hills" in your own yard. There also may be rocks, acorns, or other objects as well. When walking, our feet should form around all of these different shapes but after a lifetime of wearing shoes, stepping on a rock barefoot is painful. Because the feet are held against the flat, stiff, and unchanging sole of a shoe, the joints in the foot aren't encouraged to move individually. Walking on surfaces that vary in size and shape keeps the joints of the feet mobile. This exercise helps to awaken each joint of the foot and get them to start functioning individually. Exercise 7) Gravel Walk
Wearing shoes is similar to when we put a limb in a cast after a bone break. Without regular use, the muscles will atrophy. As the smaller muscles of the foot weaken, the larger muscles of the leg will have to compensate. There are 33 joints in each foot meaning there are almost an infinite number of positions your foot can be in at any given time. However, the soles of shoes are flat and unvarying, which means that the vast majority of joints in the foot do not get used when wearing shoes. After decades of shoe wearing our feet are weak from underuse while our leg muscles become weak from overuse. This exercise is simple and effective. Walk on gravel. Our feet are meant to form to the shape of the earth we walk on. Natural terrains are generally uneven, causing our feet to bend and flex in ways that shoes do not allow. Walking on gravel will innervate weakened foot muscles and get your underused joints working again. |
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