6 exercises to strengthen the foot muscles

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6 exercises to strengthen the foot muscles
6 exercises to strengthen the foot muscles
Anonim

Despite its small size, each of our feet contains 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments. They are responsible for maintaining the entire body. During the day, they carry a load equivalent to several hundred tons. That is why the feet are so prone to various traumas and injuries. At the same time, you can often hear that their condition affects the he alth of the entire organism. And this is true in several aspects.

Foot problems change our gait - it affects the joints of the legs and the spine. If pain occurs in them, we involuntarily change the position of the body so as to redistribute the weight and reduce the load on the painful areas. This changes the balance of the body and the posture deteriorates. Also, due to changes in gait, joints and bones are overloaded and worn.

How to prevent foot diseases and deformities? The main secret is to do super short exercises, but regularly.

The complex of exercises for the feet is for planovalgus deformity, which almost everyone who wears shoes has to one degree or another. You can add them to your regular workout. Or organize such gymnastics for the feet during the break: it takes only 20-25 minutes. For each exercise, do three sets of 12 repetitions. You must perform the complex at least three times a week.

• Exercise 1. Massage the foot with a roller

The secret ingredient of this exercise is the massage roller. This is a special pimple roller that you can buy at an orthopedic store or order online.

Sit down and place the roller on the floor so that it is comfortable to touch it with your feet. Roll your entire foot from toes to heel on the roller. Then the second one. In this way, by massaging your foot, you improve the blood flow in it and prepare it for the next exercises.

• Exercise 2. Crawl forward on your toes

Very simple exercise: you have to crawl with your feet forward. To do this, sit comfortably in a chair, put your feet on the floor, support your heel firmly and move them forward only with your toes. They crawl, the foot moves forward. Now repeat the same, but crawl backwards. This is how you train the worm muscles. They are located between the metatarsal bones and suffer the most if the shoes have heels.

• Exercise 3. Stand on tiptoes

All you have to do is stand on your toes and lower your foot to the floor. You can do it with both legs at the same time or by alternating them. It is important to do the exercise slowly and smoothly, not abruptly. A more difficult option is to stand on one leg and raise yourself up on your toes with the other, holding on with your hands so you don't fall. This will strengthen the calf muscles, which also keep the foot in shape.

• Exercise 4. Lean on the edge of the foot

Place one foot on the floor and stand on your toes with the other. We will work with the first leg and the second will be on the toes to further increase the load on the first. Lift the inner edge of the foot of the first leg, shifting your weight to the outer edge. Switch legs and repeat.

Be careful: the leg should not bend too much to the side, the big toe remains in contact with the ground. If you do the exercise correctly, you are training the tibialis posterior muscle. It pulls the foot inward and is not used during everyday walking. But, if you roll your foot too hard on the outside edge, the ankle ligaments will stretch and the tibialis posterior muscle will disengage.

• Exercise 5. Raising the arch of the foot

Another exercise that works the posterior tibial muscle. Place your feet flat and lift the arch of the foot. This should be done with both legs at the same time. As with the previous exercise, the feet should not curl too strongly on the outer edge. To prevent this, do not lift your thumb off the floor.

By the way, due to the fact that we rarely use the posterior tibial muscle, it can get tired and slightly injured after training. Don't worry: this is normal, especially if you're doing a warm-up for the first time.

• Exercise 6. Gathering a towel

You know the drill where you have to roll a tennis ball with your foot? This is his alternative. Place a towel on the floor, grab it with your toes as you would with your palm, and pull it toward you as if you were folding it. Then repeat the same with the other leg. Like the tennis ball exercise, this will strengthen the powerful plantar ligament that runs from the heel to the front of the foot.

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