SOME GENERAL FOOT FACTS: 80% of us have foot pain at some point in our lives. The major culprit of our foot pain is from wearing shoes that do not fit properly or that force our feet into unnatural shapes. Our feet are very small compared to the rest of our body so the impact of each step we take exerts a huge amount of force on those poor little guys. This force is about 50% greater than our body weight. On average we take about 8,000 steps per day, this means that our feet support a combined force equivalent to several hundred tons every day! The foot does many different things for us:

- Supports our body weight - Acts as a shock absorber - Serves as a level to propel our leg forward as we walk - Helps us to maintain our balance by adjusting the body to uneven surfaces

The foot is a very complex structure of 26 bones, 33 joints, and is layered with an intertwining web of more than 120 muscles, ligaments, and nerves.

Foot pain generally starts in one of three places: The Toes, Forefoot, or the Hind Foot. The Toes: Most often toe problems occur because of ill-fitting shoes. Common complaints in the toes are bunions, hammertoes, and neuromas. The Forefoot or the ball of the foot: Includes the five long bones that extend from the front of the arch to the bones in each toe, and the two smaller sesamoid bones that connect to the big toe. Common complaints here are corns, calluses, and joint pain from arthritis or wearing improper fitted shoes. The Hind Foot: Back of the foot or heel. Pain here can extend from the heel, across the sole or arch to the ball of the foot. Common complaints in this area are heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, and tendinitis. These can be caused by poor walking gait, improper stance, and doing these things repetitively. The exercises shown in this book are labeled and described specifically for the particular condition they help with in the foot. Pick and choose which exercises will work best for your condition and do those. Or, you may do them all to help condition your feet against any future foot ailments. I would recommend doing specific exercises for your condition daily or doing all of the foot exercises 3 times a week.

STANDING WEIGHT PLACEMENT: Purpose: This creates awareness of correct weight distribution, helps with posture, alignment, and gait (how you walk). Helps to correct our stance by placing proper awareness in the feet. Centering: To find your correct placement imagine the bottom of your foot as a triangle: Center weight evenly across all five toes from big toe to the pinky, then into the heel. Feel 60 percent of your weight forward of your ankle bone, gently gripping with your toes. Weight into Heels: Throws off your body alignment, posture, gait, and balance. May cause lower back pain. Pronation of the foot: This action is when your foot flattens and the weight collapses toward the center of the body. Over time this causes an imbalance between the knee and hip, which can rotate the back causing chronic pain. Supination of the foot: This is the rolling of the foot to the lateral side or toward the pinky toe and affects the ankle joint and up the entire body. Even weight placement Weight in the heels

Supination Pronation

AGING: FEET EXPERIENCE MAJOR CHANGES; 1. Women have more flexibility in the foot due to varied heel height throughout their lives. 2. Men’s feet become more stiff and rigid due to stiff soled shoes and less movement in the foot over time. 3. The soles of our feet lose padding.

4. Arches can drop. 5. Circulation weakens causing neuropathies. 6. Proprioception diminishes dramatically = decrease in balance.

4 GREAT AGING FEET STRENGTHENING EXERCISES: 1. KNEE BENDS – Especially good for flexibility in the foot and ankle and for awareness of proper weight placement in the foot. AND…Helps to strengthen those “getter-upper” muscles, the quadriceps muscles in the upper leg. Exercise: Sitting on the front edge of a chair, line your feet up so they are spaced hip width apart and directly under your knees. Feel weight equal from big toe to pinky toe and into your heel. Bring weight forward (nose over toes) and press straight up evenly through your feet as you stand up. When you sit put most of your weight back over your heels to slowly lower yourself. Note: Keep your knees and toes pointing straight forward. If you find the knees want to bow in or out place a small ball or pillow between them to keep your alignment and to strengthen the vastus medialis, or inner thigh muscles.

2. HEEL LIFTS – This is a great foot strengthening exercise as it helps to strengthen the feet, ankles, and calves in the lower leg, while improving flexibility. Exercise: Standing with weight placement equal from big toe to pinky toe and into the heel. Slowly and deliberately roll your weight forward through the middle of foot to ball of foot making sure the weight stays even (no rolling in or out), then continue up to toes as you lift your heel off the floor as high as you can stay balanced. Hold for a second at the top, and then slowly lower. Repeat 10-20 repetitions. 3. TOE LIFTS (Dorsiflexion of the foot) - This is one of the single best exercises you can do to improve your balance! As we age the muscle on the top of the foot weakens and it causes us to shuffle our feet along. This weakness causes us to trip on cracks, rugs, or whatever else may be in our way because we are too weak to lift the foot over the object. Exercise: Sitting or standing with heels directly under knees. Tap your toes together or alternating to point of fatigue. You will feel the work on the top of your foot and into the shins. 50 -100 taps to the point of fatigue in the muscle.

4. WALKING GAIT: Promotes awareness of the mechanics of walking to correct habits that affect the whole body. Exercise: Imagine your foot as a lever that propels the body forward. Step forward on your heel first, and then roll your weight through the arch to your toes, propelling you forward. Pull your toes up as you step so it moves the knee up and forward. The foot acts as a lever engaging the whole leg to move from a fluid hip joint.

POINTED FOOT: Increases flexibility in the feet and lengthens your toes while strengthening the whole foot. Exercise: Point your foot, press your arch down and then lower your heel. Reverse the movement for 4-6 repetitions. Keep your toes long throughout.

ARCH AND METATARSAL PRESS: Stretches and develops a strong arch in the foot, promotes circulation and flexibility of the foot and ankle. Exercise: Point your foot then press the ball of your foot down while keeping your arch up and forward while lifting your heel. Track your weight and knee over your second toe. Lower heel and relax foot. Do both feet for 4-6 repetitions.

TOE SCRUNCH: Great for flexibility and articulation, stretching the toes and foot and strengthening the arch and fascia on the bottom of the foot. Exercise: Sitting with legs extended in front of you. Scrunch your toes forward, hold and then stretch or pull your toes evenly back keeping them all in one line. Repeat 6-8 times.

TOE STRETCHER: Opens up the foot by pulling the toes apart. Great exercise to help avoid and get rid of bunions. Exercise: Place a rubber-band (the tauter the better) around one big toe, make a figure 8 to loop around the other big toe. Pull your feet apart trying to fan out all the toes. Hold for a second and then relax, Repeat 6-10 times.

TOE FLARES: Works like the toe stretcher but without the rubber band. Exercise: Sitting with feet out in front of you flare or fan toes apart as much as possible, hold for 2 seconds then relax. Repeat this for 6-8 repetitions keeping the toes lined up.

ANKLE CIRCLES: Good for warming up before activity as it increases circulation and flexibility. Helps to promote full range of motion in the ankle, foot, legs, and hips. Exercise: Sit with your legs extended out in front of you and feet flexed or toes pointing straight up in line with the heel. Circle your ankles inward so big toes reach towards each other, then circle them all the way up and out, trying to touch the floor with your little toe. Then circle down, in and up to the starting position. Reverse this for 6-8 rolls making sure to circle the entire leg from the hip not just the ankles.

DORSIFLEXION AND PLANTAR FLEXION (flexing and pointing the feet): Good for plantar fasciitis by improving flexibility and circulation. Promotes correct use and alignment of the foot, stretches foot, ankle, tendon, and hamstring. Exercise: Sit with legs extended out in front of you and point and flex your feet making sure toes stay lined up evenly with each other and with the heel as you flex and then lengthening the toes as you point.

PLANTAR FLEXION AND DORSIFLEXION WITH STRETCH BAND: This exercise can be done with a band or strap around the bottom of the foot to better stretch the calf and Achilles tendon. This helps stretch and conditions the muscles that cause plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. With the band across the top of the foot and anchored to a chair or with someone holding it, pull the toes up against resistance to strengthen the dorsiflexor muscle on top of the foot to improve your foot strength and balance. Repeat these exercises for 10-20 repetitions moving slowly and keeping good alignment throughout the toes. Plantar Flex Beginning Position Plantar Flex Ending Position

Dorsiflex Beginning Position Dorsiflex Ending Position

ISOMETRIC INVERSION AND EVERSION OF THE FOOT: Helps to correct pronation and supination problems with the feet and strengthen the ankles to support these imbalances. Exercises: For Supination: Place ball or pillow between feet and invert or squeeze the ball between your feet, hold for 2 seconds and relax, repeat for 10 repetitions. For Pronation: Place a ball or pillow on the outside of the foot against a wall or solid object and evert or press the foot outward into the ball to strengthen the lateral side of the foot and ankle. Press on hold for 2 seconds and relax, repeat for 10 repetitions.

ARCH CONTRACTION: Helps to lift and strengthens the arch of your foot, better than an orthotic. Exercise: Standing or sitting in chair. Contract your foot by raising or doming the arch off the floor. Keep your toes long, hold for 4 counts then relax. Repeat each side for 6-8 repetitions.

PIANO SCALES WITH TOES: Strengthens the foot while articulating toes. Helps to increase awareness of proprioception (your sense of balance). Exercise: Standing or sitting in a chair. Place your heel down and lift arch and toes off the floor. Like a piano move through each toe placing them down one by one and lifting one by one like you are playing a piano scale. Do one foot at a time for 4-8 repetitions.

INCHWORMS: Enhances flexibility and circulation in the foot. Strengthens the arch of the foot. Exercise: Standing or sitting in a chair. Grip or curl your toes sliding the heel forward. Lift your toes as you uncurl your foot and relax it down. Repeat this 4-6 times on both feet advancing the foot forward a little bit at a time.

KNEADING SOLE OF FOOT WITH KNUCKLES: Improves circulation and releases tension in the foot and the rest of the body also. Exercise: Sit on chair or floor and cross one foot over the other knee. Make a fist with your hand and massage up and down across the bottom of the foot.

FOOT MANIPULATION: Enhances articulation, flexibility, and circulation. Exercise: Sitting on floor or in chair cross one foot over the opposite knee. Intertwine your fingers in each toe from behind foot and move your foot from side to side and circle around. Do this on each foot for 4-6 repetitions each way.

TRACTION AND ROTATION OF TOES: Good for bunions and hammertoes. Lengthens toes and lubricates the metatarsal joints. Exercise: Sit on chair or floor with one foot crossed over the other knee. Pull each toe out and circle it several times each direction.

ROLLING FEET ON SPINY BALL OR ROLLER: Massages and stimulates circulation in the feet. Releases tension in the foot and whole body. Helps with plantar fasciitis and over pronation in the feet. Exercise: Sitting or standing roll the prop across the bottom of the foot, side to side, and front to back. Roll across the ball of the foot and into the heel as well.

FOOT CORRECTOR: Articulates and strengthens the whole foot and ankle. I have found it helps to improve balance by not only strengthening the feet and correcting imbalances, but also by creating more proprioception or awareness of our feet. It also helps correct imbalances all the way up the leg into the knees and hips. Exercise: Line the ball of the foot up equally over the saddle and press down against the spring tension, keep your heel down flat. Then do the same pressing down through the heel across the saddle, keeping the toes spread and flat on the bottom surface. Repeat this to fatigue on both feet, 10-30 repetitions. Note: This piece of equipment can be substitute with a small round ball that gives a little when you squeeze it. Line the foot up the same way as shown here over the top of the ball.

Doing these exercises regularly can return our feet to the happy playful days of our youth!