Have you ever gone on a run and the bottom of your foot hurts for days? Or your shin feels uncomfortable? You should consider training your feet. Feet are often neglected in training because we don’t necessarily look at them much and we’re on them constantly. Feet need to be trained and taken care of just like any other part of the body.
Each foot has 33 bones, 26 joints and over a hundred muscles (Manganaro, Daniel, et al, 2021). Feet, ankles, and toes play a vital role in locomotion and balance. Toes provide the final push when walking, they provide force absorption when jumping, running, and walking, and they provide balance when moving (Allen, Amber 2014).
Feet are very important and if left forgotten, can be the root of your injury. Some common injuries are plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and achilles tendonitis. Plantar fasciitis is described as sharp pain in the heel (Schick, 2019). Shin splints cause an aching pain on the shins, usually after running or jumping. Achilles tendonitis is described as painful, caused by tiny tears in the tendon (AllCare Foot & Ankle Center). The common issue with each of these injuries is they are caused by excessive use. If you aren’t a regular runner and think it is a good idea to run a 5k after 3 months off, you will experience one of these issues.
How can any of this be avoided? Simply training the feet the way you would train other parts of the body. Consider the ranges of motion in the foot/ankle; dorsiflexion (toes up), plantar flexion (point the toes down), eversion (turn the foot out), and inversion (turn the toes in) (AllCare Foot & Ankle Center).
Effective ways to train the feet is by exposing these ranges such as hindu squats, sled pushes and pulls, weighted walking, calf raises, different lunges on a slant board (changing the position of the board for eversion and inversion). Training the feet can be easy because they are durable. Because of their durability and frequent usage, stretching and massaging the feet, calves, and toes should be done consistently.
Remember, the feet are the foundation of the body. We need them for balance, to walk, to run. By neglecting our feet, we risk compromising our overall health and performance. The next time you lace up your shoes, take a moment to appreciate the complexity that are your feet. Are you ready to prioritize their health?
Works Cited
Allen, Amber. “Kansas City Foot Specialists, P.A.” Kansas City Foot Specialists, 27 Nov. 2014, kcfoot.com/toes-anatomy-function-and-common-injuries/. Accessed 3 Sept. 2024.
“Common Foot and Ankle Injuries: AllCare Foot & Ankle Center: Podiatry.” Www.allcarefootdoc.com, www.allcarefootdoc.com/blog/common-foot-and-ankle-injuries.
Manganaro, Daniel, et al. “Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Foot Joints.” PubMed, StatPearls Publishing, 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536941/.
Paton, Liz. “Foot and Ankle Anatomy – Range of Motion and Structure | AnatomyStuff.” AnatomyStuff Free Resources, 7 Dec. 2021, free-resources.anatomystuff.co.uk/foot-ankle-anatomy-free-poster-downloads/.
Schick, DPM, Faith. “Five of the Most Common Foot and Ankle Injuries.” Rothmanortho.com, 2020, rothmanortho.com/stories/blog/Common-Foot-And-Ankle-Injuries.
