Simple exercises I can do for good foot health?

By: Tom Lemke - Cped MC, Cped C, Nov 08, 2017
  Article

Yes! Just simply walking every day will keep your feet in good health, but you can also do more!

If you want to do more to better your foot health, below are four activities you can do to help:

1. Curling your toes - lay a hand towel or tea towel on the floor and use our toes to pull it toward you bit by bit until it's all bunched up under the arches of your feet.
2. Stand in front of a set of stairs, place one foot on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd step, your knee should be at approximately 90 degrees with your toes pointing up at the ceiling and against the front of the next step, then lean forward to stretch the calf of the foot on the step, careful not to stretch it too far, you should feel the stretch but it shouldn't be painful.
3. You could use a wobble board to strengthen all the muscles in your feet and ankle.
4. Trampolining or mini trampolining is also a good but strenuous exercise if you can handle it.

Doing some sort of simple exercise like walking can be done every day, more strenuous exercises should be done only 3 or 4 times a week or you'll end up with an injury. If we don't keep our feet healthy and strong we could end up with injuries like plantar fasciitis which is the most common foot problem in North America and anywhere that people wear shoes and socks for the majority of their lives. Shoes and socks are restrictive and don't allow the feet to move as they should so the feet tend to get weaker especially if we don't use them enough.

Tom Lemke has been making custom footwear for Canadians for over 30 years.

Tom became a Certified Pedorthic Master Craftsman in 1996, and a few years later in 2003 he started his own orthopedic, orthotic and pedorthic practice: The Foot Lab. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, The Foot Lab serves clients from Grande Prairie to Nova Scotia and beyond.  Check out our website http://www.footlab.ca/ 

Our Certified Pedorthic Master Craftsman will create custom-made shoes, inserts, insoles and/or footwear modification to help you:

• improve your walking posture, putting less stress on your body;
• relieve foot, leg, or back pain from walking and standing;
• walk more naturally with differently-sized legs or a partial or full amputation; and
• relieve pain and improve balance problems caused by chronic health issues like diabetes or cerebral palsy.