Simple Exercises for Healthy Feet

Our feet are very resilient, bearing our weight and providing seamless movement all our life. To ensure they are working fine and not strained too much, it’s good to perform simple exercises for the feet at least thrice a week. These exercises are good for anybody, irrespective of age, gender, lifestyle, and occupation, in order to improve the strength, flexibility, and mobility of their feet.

For people with special conditions:

• For people with diabetes, foot exercises are a great way to detect or prevent the onset of peripheral neuropathy which affects nerves of the lower legs.
• For dancers and sportspersons who strain their feet often, these exercises will relieve stress and prevent damage to muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the feet.
• If you are recovering from injury or fracture to your lower leg(s), these exercises will help you build strength and accelerate recovery, once the cast is removed.
• For the elderly with weight or flexibility issues, these exercises will improve coordination and balance.
• For arthritics or anybody with skeleto-muscular condition, these exercises help relieve some of the pain and stiffness.

A word of caution

• If you belong to any of the above categories, please check with your doctor before starting a foot-exercise regimen. Some of the below exercises may not be recommended for you.
• If you have diabetes, you must wear footwear while performing these exercises and none of these should be done barefoot.

• If you are an elder with balance problems, you are at the risk of slipping and falling while doing standing exercises. To prevent this, have some support near you.

Foot Exercises

Raise toes, point, and curl

Sit on a chair with your back straight, feet on the floor. Keep the toes on the floor and raise the heels, then keep the heels and centre of your feet on the floor and raise the toes, finally, raise the heels and curl the toes inward till only the tip of the 1^st and 2^nd toe are touching the floor. In all these positions, hold for 5 seconds… Repeat the cycle 5 times.

Stretching the fore-feet

This is an excellent exercise for people with the condition – plantar fasciitis. Sit on a chair with your feet on the floor. Lift the right leg and fold it so that the right foot sits on your left thigh. Grip the toes and fore-foot of the right foot with the fingers of your right hand and move them towards the ankle. Hold for 5 seconds and massage the arch of your right foot with the other hand. Then relax the foot. Alternate the feet now. Repeat 5 times on both feet.

Toe spread, with/without using fingers

1. Sit on a chair with your back straight, feet on the floor. Slightly raise toes and spread them so that there is a gap between them. Repeat 5 times.
2. Sit on a chair with the feet on the floor. Lift the right leg and fold it so that the right foot sits on your left thigh. Push the fingers of your right hand through the toes of your right foot and spread the toes apart. Alternate the feet now. Repeat 5 times on both feet.

Curl your toes using a towel

Sit on a chair with your back straight, feet on the floor. Fold a towel into a rectangle and keep the smaller side closer to your left foot, on the floor. Keep the left heel on the floor. Grip the towel with the toes of your left feet and raise the toes, then drop towel. Alternate the feet, repeat 5 times on both feet.

Picking up Marble/pencil

1. Sit on a chair with your back straight, feet on the floor. Spread some marbles and keep an empty bowl, on the floor, close to your feet. Keep one foot on the floor. Using the toes of other foot, pick up the marbles one by one and drop them in the empty bowl. Alternate the feet now. Repeat 5 times on both feet.

1. Sit on a chair with your back straight, feet on the floor. Place a pencil on the floor, close to either foot. Pick up the pencil using the toes of one foot and then drop it. Do 5 repetitions on both feet

Walking on the sand

If you live close to a clean beach that is free of pebbles, driftwood, and trash, take a long walk on the sand, barefoot, if you are a healthy person. If you are a diabetic, you can do this as long as the sand is not hot or cold, but is warm or cool.

Extending the big toe

Sit on a chair with your feet on the floor. Lift the right leg and fold it so that the right foot sits on your left thigh. Grip the big toe of the right foot with the fingers of your right hand and move them back and forth, and side-wards. Alternate the feet now. Repeat 5 times on both feet.

Stretching ankle joint

Sit on a chair with the feet on the floor. Lift the left leg and keep it still. Make a circle with your left foot by turning the ankle in a clockwise direction. Repeat in the anti-clockwise direction. Repeat 5 times on both feet.

Massaging with a golf ball

Sit on a chair with the feet on the floor. Roll a golf ball under either foot for a minute or two. Repeat on the other foot.

Heel raise with/without plank

1. Stand upright with feet close to each other. Raise your heels and stand on your toes for 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times

1. Take a clean and thin bar or plank of any material, not more than 1 inch thick, and place on the floor. Stand in such a way that only your toes are resting on the plank and heels are free. Raise yourself on your toes, hold for 5 seconds and then relax.

 

Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

Chennai – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801

 

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