Foot Exercises for People with Flatfeet

Having flatfeet is a condition known as pes planus. You can tell if you are flatfooted. Try putting your bare foot on a flat surface. If your foot bends naturally at its arch, that’s normal. However, if the arch of your foot collapses and touches the flat surface, you may be flatfooted.

The flatfeet condition is not really a debilitating disorder. However, there are instances where flatfeet cause discomfort when running, walking or simply standing for long periods. To correct this condition, there are exercises that you can try to help rebuild the arches of your feet.

Pick Me Up: Place objects, say cotton balls, on the floor. Using your foot, pick up the items and drop them into a container, such as a basket. Doing this helps flex the muscles of your foot.

Tips for the Toe: The object of this exercise is to tiptoe, which is walking on the toes and balls of your feet. Tiptoeing helps build the curves and arches of our feet.

Toe Curl-Up: Sit or lie down with your feet lifted off the floor. Curl your toes upward then release. Repeat this until you feel some pressure on your feet.

You can also engage in running or walking exercises designed to correct flatfeet. To start off, pick out shoes or footwear that are designed and best-suited for flatfeet. Look for shoes that offer good support and comfort. Before performing these exercises, you might want to consult an expert.

What Causes Metatarsal Pain?

The metatarsal is thbaall of your foot, where the five bones between your ankle and toes converge. This is serves an important function of sharing the weight when you walk, run or stand. Being the most used part of the foot, it is the most vulnerable to problems.

Athletes are prone to metatarsal pain, particularly those who do a lot of running. Experts agree that one of the common causes is improper walking, running or ill positioning of the feet. Putting too much pressure on your metatarsals can result in pain. Another common reason for metatarsal pain is wearing ill-fitting shoes.
Metatarsal pain may also result from these following causes:

Metatarsalgia: This occurs when the metatarsal nerves become inflamed. One of the prominent symptoms is sharp and tingling pain in the ball of your foot. Also, people will experience severe pain when walking or standing if they have this condition.

Arthritis: This is common among people 40 years and older. It is characterized by sharp sensations due to inflammation of the joints. Metatarsal pain is one of the symptoms of arthritis.

Diabetes: This disease opens the floodgates for many disorders. One of them is metatarsal pain, which is caused by poor blood circulation in the feet.

Osteoarthritis: One of the signs of aging is the breaking down of bone and joint cartilage. Accordingly, this disorder is common among the elderly and is characterized by pain and discomfort when moving the joints, especially after long periods of rest.

The pain of walking on flat feet when you are a high-heel wearer

There must be something transforming about high-heel shoes that makes women want to wear them despite the killer heels’ notoriety. Plantarflexion, or the lifting of the heels by the ball of the foot through the action of the calf muscles, creates a more pronounced lordosis, or arching of the back. The result is a sexier, confident forward stance.

Researchers in a recent study looked into a condition where high-heel wearers find it uncomfortable, even painful, to walk flat-footed or to switch to flat shoes.

When high heels are being worn, calf muscles are placed in a shortened position. The researchers wondered if chronic or prolonged use of high heels causes structural and functional changes, such as shortening of the calf muscle tissue itself. To test this scenario, the research team studied 11 volunteers who had regularly worn 5-cm heels for two years or more and who felt uncomfortable walking flat-footed. They were compared with nine other women who did not wear high heels.

Using MRI to measure the size of the women’s calf muscles, the researchers found that there was no difference in the calf muscle volume of the two groups. The team then tested the muscle fiber length on ultrasound and saw that high-heel wearers did have 13 percent shorter muscle fibers than those who wore flat shoes. “This confirmed the hypothesis,” says author Marco Narici from Manchester Metropolitan University, “because when you place the muscle in a shorter position, the fibers become shorter.”

The researchers explained that with shortened fibers, the muscles would have to contract more if they were to shorten by the same length. Muscle insufficiency, or the inability to produce enough tension in the calves, prevents optimal function. This begs the question: Had the shortened muscle fibers made it difficult for high-heel wearers to walk efficiently?

The authors then looked at the Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone. The MRI scan showed that the tendon was the same length in the two groups of women. However, they noticed that the tendons were thicker and stiffer among the high-heel wearers. They realized that the tendon thickened and stiffened to compensate for the insufficiency of the calf muscles, allowing optimal function as the high-heel wearers walk. This, however, causes pain or discomfort when walking on flat feet because the stiff tendon cannot stretch sufficiently in this position.

Would the scientists recommend that women kick the high-heels addiction? The lead author of the study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology said he is not advocating against fashion. “This is not intended to scare women off wearing heels, it’s just to make them aware that exercising and stretching their calf muscles can help.” He advises women to do stretching exercises to avoid developing any soreness.

For an effective golf swing: Lose the foot pain to fix the swing, podiatrists say

The feet act like a fulcrum that controls the chain of movements that completes a golf swing. Much like dance steps, there’s a lot of weight shifting through the foot to bring the flow of energy and movement into a graceful follow-through. Good footwork is thus central to an effective swing.

“All timing, distance and direction comes out of the lower body with the feet leading the way,” golf legend Jack Nicklaus has said.

However, when the base of support is defective, as in a foot disorder or injury, the golfer tends to do compensating movements, swaying away from the ideal swing. This causes players to hit way off course, and their game suffers.

Foot pain is a common complaint among golfers, and sometimes they are oblivious that their swing is off. Improper biomechanics and overuse often bring about foot pain and injury. Podiatrists cited neuroma (swollen nerve endings), arthritis of the foot and ankle and falling foot arches as major causes of foot pain.

Pain in the big toe, which is often caused by arthritis, makes it difficult to follow through on a swing as it involves shifting of weight to the front and inside of the foot. Neuromas in the ball of the foot cause pain as a downward swing causes the feet to roll inward and outward. And a falling arch causes the foot to be unstable and lose its proper weight distribution, making a firm stance wobbly upon swing motion.

Foot pain from stress and overuse of foot structures are normally treated by podiatrists with conservative care to allow for quick return to the sport. Treatment may include anti-inflammatory injections, shoe inserts or custom shoes, ice and physical therapy.

For symptoms that do not respond or will recur with first-line management, a simple procedure by a podiatrist will often resolve the problem completely.

Podiatrists recommend preventive measures to avoid foot problems associated with playing golf, such as wearing of well-fitted athletic shoes, simple stretching exercises before taking to the first tee and after leaving the last, and building up playing time gradually and carefully.

When you run on happy feet, you run happy

Whether your feet go grinding for a fun run, routine exercise or athletic training, they could only take so much of a beating; you’ll never know when that dreaded foot injury or foot breakdown can happen. Even with jogging, your foot carries 1.7 times your body weight, and this could increase with changes in speed. Your spirit might be willing but when your foot fails, you’ll wish a rewind – stepping back to where you make a conscious, careful effort at protecting your feet.

Help your feet to breathe and keep them in running condition with basic foot care.

Choose sport-specific, proper fitting athletic shoes.
The American Podiatric Association stresses that if you are participating in a sport two to three times a week, you should wear a sport-specific shoe. And fit is equally important as the type of shoe. Sport-specific, properly fitting shoes prevent foot injury and deformities and enhance performance.

Running shoes should:
· Provide adequate cushioning, to absorb shock or impact when the foot strikes the ground, and heel control to allow a stable landing. This will protect you from knee pain and shin splints (pain along the front of the lower leg). Shoes should have a good grip on the ground and the heel should not slip as you walk or run.
· Consider your foot type. For feet with normal arches, select a pair with cushioning and stability that are equally distributed – the inner sole fits the contours of the foot, the heel and midfoot stiff and is but flexible at the front so it bends easily at the ball of the foot. For those with low arches, choose shoes that are strong on stability and motion control, especially against lateral (outer side) motion. For high-arched feet, shoes should have a softer midsole and allow more flexibility. An orthotic device, or shoe insert, may be used to support a weak foot arch.

Buy shoes in the afternoon or after a workout.
The feet are slightly swollen at the end of the day or at their largest after highly physical activity. The toes should be able to freely wiggle even with the socks on, and the shoes should feel comfortable when you walk or run a few steps.

Wear the same type of sock for your sport.
When you try on shoes, wear the socks that you plan to wear during your running.

Stretch before starting off.
Proper general warm-up and stretching of the running muscles even for five to 10 minutes will prevent strain or microtears on the muscles, tendons and joint tissues.

Progress slowly.
Start with small distances and increase gradually so as not to cause sudden load to the soft tissues. You can start with two sets of two-minute jogging and alternate with five minutes of fast walking, then progress according to endurance into a 20-minute jog.

Proper foot hygiene.
Keep your feet clean and dry. Apply powder or petroleum jelly if feet are prone to blisters.