Very often we don’t give much importance to our feet and their care. But we should understand that the feet are the pillars of our posture, so small problems or variations in their structure can cause large variations in our entire body posture or be the cause of other problems.
For example, a small wart under the foot can trigger a compensatory mechanism of shifting the load on the other leg induced by pain in the foot, causing inflammation of the opposite knee or hip.
The ankle joint is very important for the posture of our whole body and supports the load of all body weight: consider that the size of the ankle joint is very small compared to that of the knee or hip, but nevertheless, it has to carry a greater load! Consequently, there is great stress on all the structures that make up the ankle such as ligaments, muscles, and tendons.
So the health of our feet is fundamental for the health of our entire body, as they are key elements in determining an excellent posture and homogeneous distribution of the forces that act on our body.
There are numerous problems that can afflict our feet both for structural causes (modification of the structures that constitute the foot) and for functional causes (overuse or overload of the structures that make up the foot.
High-heeled shoes are aesthetically stunning but very damaging to your foot. I’m not saying to wear them but to do it in moderation and for a short time during the day, for example, wear them intermittently when really necessary. The main reason they can be harmful to your foot is that they distribute more load on the forefoot which can produce inflammation or worsen the condition of a Hallux Valgus for example.
From the image below, you can see how the load on the forefoot goes from 10% to 50% when wearing a shoe with a medium heel. Could further increase with very high heels!
Corns when being cut could grow back faster and much harder. Calluses consist of tissue with low or no blood perfusion. If instead of cutting them, we try to increase their blood perfusion of them, we will obtain a more physiological and long-lasting effect. One of the best methods to increase blood perfusion, decrease pain and/or any inflammation produced by calluses is shock thermal therapy with cold and hot water.
Follow these procedures to execute in the right way the therapy:
Walking barefoot increases the interaction of your foot with the ground and consequently increases the activation of more muscle groups in your foot than when wearing shoes. Avoid doing this if you have an active stage of foot inflammation or pain.
This is a simple exercise that can strengthen the foot muscles and consequently its entire structure. Stronger feet and ankles can better withstand any greater workload or stress, decreasing the risk of injury or inflammation.
Self-Massage is a perfect home therapy to reduce muscle tension, stress on the tendons and increase blood perfusion.
You can use a tennis ball or a foam roll to massage the sole of the foot.
Feet Stretching is the best way to reduce muscles tension and fatigue. I tell always to my athletes that stretching is like a very effective workout, not for the power, but for the flexibility of the muscles and related joints. The power and flexibility of your muscles should have the right balance: Even if there is big power but poor flexibility in your muscles you can get a lot of injuries!
These are some stretching exercises specific for the health of your feet:
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