The Importance of Foot and Ankle Rehab
The base of a healthy body are the feet. Literally! There are four healthy curves in the spine and to maintain those healthy spinal curves, we need the support of strong arches in our feet.
The hard surfaces of our modern world, however, work to flatten our feet. If we consider our ancestors, our feet were made for running barefoot across dirt and grass. While concrete streets and hardwood floors make it faster for us to get around, they come at the price of us constantly pounding our feet and flattening our arches. But, good news! There are ways to counteract this.
Arch raises
Standing with your feet flat on the ground, flex the arch of your foot up and hold it for one second. Don’t crunch or curl your toes; you are working the muscles of your arch, not your toes. You can watch a demonstration of arch raises here. Do this 100 times a day! Any time you are waiting in line or washing dishes - work on those arches. Literally any time you are standing is a chance to strengthen that arch. When that gets too easy, extend the hold of each arch raise contraction longer and longer.
Arch supports/orthotics
A good foot orthotic can support your arch while you walk, helping you maintain that vital curve. Most orthotics sold in stores focus on heel cups. I do not recommend heel cups. I recommend orthotics that focus on having an arch support. By having that strong support, it pushes back against the arch not allowing it to flatten, helping to keep the shape. With that in mind, you need something firm. A soft orthotic will not be strong enough to support that arc consistently with your foot pounding into the ground all day. Tread Labs offers good, firm general orthotics. The top cover is replaceable and they offer different levels of support for low to high arches. You don’t need to find one custom made for your foot. Just something sturdy to keep that fifth essential curve!
Spread out your toes
Most modern shoes have a narrow toe box. This leads to compression of the toes, squishing the front of the foot and toes together. Wearing narrow shoes often enough can change the shape of the foot, leading to pain and potentially longer term issues. By wearing toe spreaders, the toes are manually spread apart, helping restore their natural alignment. Benefits of toe spreaders include: reduced pain in the toes, heels, ankles, and knees; increased balance; improved posture.
4. Buy wide toe-box shoes or “foot shaped” shoes
There are many new ergo-feet brands on Amazon that offer wide toe-box and minimalist options. Our feet are meant to be flexible, strong and stable. Natural widening of the feet is part of the healing process the feet, ankles and low back require. This means flats, heels, converse, vans and even Nikes need to be reconsidered and most likely left behind for full healing results. Some brands I recommend instead are Birkenstocks or Ten Little for kids. I personally enjoy wearing my Teva Hurricane sandals day to day. They allow my feet to be wide and stable, without constriction, and I can wear my toe spreaders in them and if it's cold outside, I just put wool socks on! Check out this vide on how shoes impact foot alignment.
A healthy body requires attention to your WHOLE body. Don’t neglect those feet! Happy walking!
