5 Exercises for Foot Health

Up to 20% of running related injuries are foot injuries! (1)

With each step we take while running, our feet sustain a force of 8-12x our body weight! (1) That being said, many runners over look foot health and don't take preventative measures to ensure their feet stay strong and healthy.

The best way to decrease your risk for injury is to increase the amount of load your muscles, tendons, and bones can sustain.

Foot Anatomy:

The arch of the foot is maintained by it’s structure, bones, and ligaments, as well as various muscles. ⁣

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The key to maintaining a neutral arch (which supports proper knee and hip alignment) is strengthening and maintaining flexibility in the muscles of the foot and lower leg. One of the primary muscles I am talking about is the big toe flexor, this muscle curls your big toe and runs into the arch of your foot. ⁣

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These five basic exercises you can do anywhere, are a great start to maintaining or improving your foot health, ankle stability, overall balance, as well as decrease soreness and your risk of sustaining an injury.

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1. Towel scrunches⁣

2. Short foot/arch scrunches⁣

3. Yoga toes⁣

4. Calf raises - progress to single leg

5. Big toe hang

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Try these out and let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Questions, comments? Drop a comment below, shoot us an email: plateauracing@gmail.com, or send us a message via our contact section on the bottom of any one of our website pages.

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Sources:

1: Bones, Tendons, Weights, and Whistles Course