If you ask the majority of people what they think about their feet, it is common to hear uncomplimentary language.  Most of us are not that happy with our feet, we think they are ugly, the skin is rough or hard, we have callouses, and for some people the toes overlap or claw back, or “hammer”.

There are so many possible reasons why our feet are the way they are, but what most people don’t realise is just how much the feet affect the rest of the body.

For instance did you know that the instep of your foot affects the arch of your lumbar spine?  The image above illustrates a collapsed inner arch (pronation) … no wonder so many of our fellow men have new hips and knees!

Fascia, the continuous “clingfilm” -like covering that goes from the tip of the big toe to the tip of the thumb and everywhere in between can get puckered through injury or poorly fitting shoes, causing a lack of flexibility or strength in the foot.  This in turn will negatively affect our posture because we will try to compensate for collapsed arches or bunions by altering our posture.

 

How can we improve the health of our feet?

 

Well, there are many ways, orthotic correction being certainly one way, but the following are physical things you can do yourself while taking five  :

1. Massage your feet : Rub them with creams, deeply penetrate between the bones of the toes both on the plantar aspect, or sole of the foot, and the dorsal aspect, or top of the foot.  If you feel tension, the chances are you have found a bit of puckered fascia – so work on it a bit – or get someone else to work on it for you!

2. Twist the feet : Sitting on the floor, pull the sole of the foot to face you, then away from you allowing a twist through the body of the foot.

3. Roll the feet : Stand on a small power ball or tennis ball and roll the foot around on the ball – the larger the ball, often the less discomfort – but work towards a smaller ball and trying to control the movement across the balls of the foot, down the inner side to the heel, across the heel, back up the outer edge.  Any points of tenderness can be held again to help the fascia of the feet relax.

4. Separate the toes with the fingers – OUCH!  I know!  But the more you do it, the more the muscles of the feet and the fascia will begin to release, and the tension in your feet will be able to let go as well.  With the toes separated using the fingers, you can also circle the ankles.

5. Work the feet : Point the toes, then curl them under, and then open out so that the knuckles of the toes are on the floor – this will be painful for most people in different ways but again stretches the feet out fantastically.  Don’t worry if you get cramp – you’re using bits of your body you may not have used since you were a baby!  Just remember the BREATH.  It is the key to releasing tensions in the feet and body.

6. Stretch the feet : Kneel on the floor with your toes curled under to stretch out the soles of the feet, and with the toes pointing away to stretch out the tops of the feet.  Keep the breath steady and even, remembering that our bodies let go as we exhale.

7. Bunion support or prevention : For those with bunions, you can strap the big toes together – again take it very gently – to help open out the muscles between the big toe and the second toe that have become lazy and unaccustomed to working.  Keep the breath flowing to help allow the body to release tension.  By doing this while kneeling or extending the legs, spreading the toes, we begin to strengthen the muscles to help improve the alignment of the big toe.

8. Achilles Hell lengthening : Stand on a block, or a step, with only half the foot on the step so the heel hangs off behind.  Breathe and allow the heels to slowly ease a little towards the floor.

9. Sleep your feet better !  : For the very lazy, buy yourself a pair of toe separators, and sleep in them!  Even that will help the toes to open, release and relax the feet!

 

Even these few exercises will make a difference over time to the flexibility of your feet.

Reflexology will help, as will sensible shoes that cause no pain of course … there is nothing worse for your feet in the long term than crunching them into ill fitting footwear!

Barefoot is my personal favourite …