The Fabulous Foot: Finding Balance

Foot obsession? No, not really; however, because our feet are so essential to our function, mobility, and well-being, they play a significant role in my client evaluation and programming.

I frequently commence an evaluation of movement or injuries from the ground up. I will assess the alignment of the toes, the arches, the muscular support between the toes ankle and calf muscles, the position of the heel bone, and the ability to stand on one leg or rise onto the toes. Putting together all of the jigsaw pieces could significantly improve a person's ability to have a correctly functioning foot, which enables them to maintain balance, walk successfully and support the hip and knee.

Finding a simple strategy such as rolling the sole of our foot for a minute with a spiky massage ball quickly improves our balance capacity by increasing communication from the nerves of the feet to the brain. This can then be incorporated into targeted balance exercises.

The foot intrinsic muscles also play a vital role in balance and maintaining stability during standing, walking, and various physical activities. These small but important muscles are located between the bones of foot and are responsible for controlling fine movements and providing support to the arches of the foot.

Weakness or dysfunction of the foot intrinsic muscles may cause not just balance problems, but also foot and toe abnormalities and an increased risk of falling or being injured. Toe presses, foot tenting or arch strengthening exercises, and balance training on unstable surfaces, for example, help increase foot strength, stability, and general balance.

I also recommend a simple strategy of wearing silicone toe spreaders to strengthen these intrinsic foot muscles while walking at home as well as during clinical Pilates or Physiotherapy sessions.

Our posture is not only driven from the top down but also from the bottom up. Our feet are also the initiators of the response that fires up our hip and knee muscles especially the gluteal to provide leg support.

We want the foot to be a flexible structure that can also support the body. When our feet are stiff, they can't make the small changes we need to keep our balance. Therefore, it's just as important to keep the foot flexible as it is to find strength and support. As always, the body likes things to be well-balanced and well-tuned.