Happy Feet, Happy You!
How many of you think about what you are actually doing to your feet?
It’s not until we experience foot pain that we start to take care of our feet. Apparently 80% of us experience foot pain in one form of another.
What are the causes of foot pain?
Improper foot wear can cause an array of foot problems and is one of the major causes.
Health issues such as Diabetes, Hanson’s Disease and gout all effect the feet
Foot anatomy:
The foot is composed of 26 bones
33 joints
More than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments
(Tendons: are fibrous tissues that connect the muscles to bones)
(Ligaments: are fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones)
A network of blood vessels, nerves, soft tissue and skin
In our lifetimes we will endure tons of pressure on our feet from the number of kilometres we cover in walking, running, playing sports etc. Therefore it is important to give your feet some love and care on a regular basis.
When there is pain in your feet, your body reacts by changing the way it functionally moves. This change in biomechanics can lead to other problems in the body effecting the knee and hip for example.
It should also be noted that changes of body biomechanics and alignment form acute or repeated trauma elsewhere in the body and/or disease can also effect the functional movement in the foot causing pain.
Ways to take care of your feet:
Roll away tension: place a tennis ball or golf ball or even a large dowel l under your feet while seated or one foot at a time in standing and roll it under your foot. It may be a bit painful at times especially when rolling on the more tense areas of your foot but the overall effect in the foot and up the back side of your body will be fantastic.
Walk barefoot once in awhile, especially if you always were shoes in your home as well.
Stretch:
The calf stretch: Stand on a step, hold onto a wall or handrail and drop your heels. Gently hold for 5-10 breaths and repeat a few more times.
The sole of the feet: Kneel onto a pad or a folded blanket. Tuck your toes under and place the ball of the foot on the floor behind you. Make sure that you are not resting on the toes themselves for this will hurt your toes, especially if you already have issues with the joints of your toes. If this is already causing a great stretch into the sole of the foot remain here. If more stretch is required then begin to sit your sit bones down toward your heels, provided you are not creating pain anywhere else such as in your knees for example. Stop and breathe where you are feeling the stretch. Support yourself with your hands on your thighs.
The top of your feet: In kneeling, point your toes back behind you resting the tops of your feet down and sit towards your heels. If you suffer from knee issues place a rolled up blanket behind your thighs and sit down toward it resting the back of your legs onto the blanket.
In all these exercises pay attention to your body’s signals and do not come to pain. Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Pay attention to that signal and ease up.
Have fun exploring and taking care of your feet!
Remember....Happy Feet, Happy You!
