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 supporting the entire body. During the day, they bear a load equivalent to several hundred tons. This is why feet are so susceptible to various injuries and damage. At the same time, you can often hear that their condition affects the condition of the whole organism. And this is true - in several aspects.
Foot problems change the way we walk. And gait affects the joints of the legs and spine. If our feet hurt, we involuntarily change our body position to redistribute the weight and reduce the load on the painful areas. As a result, the balance of the body changes and posture deteriorates. Also, due to changes in gait, joints and bones are overloaded and worn out.
How to prevent foot diseases and deformities? Andrey Uezdovsky , an orthopedic doctor from the Chaika clinic
. Looking ahead: the main secret is to do super short exercises, but do them regularly. Video instructions are included.
Why do my feet hurt?
There is a company in Switzerland that produces special shoes: they are designed to simulate walking on sand.
The company name, MBT, stands for Masai Barefoot Technologie. The technology for creating shoes is also called. The word Masai refers us to the African Maasai people, who have preserved their traditional way of life. This is no accident. The Maasai do not have many of the health problems that civilized city dwellers have. Among them, plano-valgus deformity of the feet is extremely rare, which most often brings us to the orthopedic office with complaints of pain in the feet. Part of the changes in this disease is flat feet: there is no bend in the sole between the toe and heel, and the entire plantar surface of the foot touches the ground. But that’s not all that happens to the foot with such deformation. The shin and heel are located not along the same axis, but in an X-shape, and the foot falls inward. Because of this, the load on the inner edge of the foot and on the base of the first toe increases. These parts of the foot become deformed, and the ligaments and tendons are overloaded. My feet start to hurt.
Why do our legs change this way? Part of the blame lies with a sedentary lifestyle. But the main reason is shoes.
Man began to use shoes for the sake of foot health: to protect them from the cold and from damage. But in doing so he harmed them. From early childhood, shoes constrain the joints in our feet and block their movement. When joints don't move, they don't send the signal to muscles to be active. And muscles that don't work become weak and atrophy. The more freely the feet develop, the better the muscles are developed. People from the Maasai tribes do not wear shoes - and their feet are much less likely to become deformed in the same way as ours.
This does not mean that we need to take off our slippers and walk around the apartment barefoot. The floor in the apartment is unnaturally flat: you simply won’t find such a smooth surface in nature. Uneven surfaces are important to keep your feet healthy (there's a reason why MBT shoes imitate walking on sand). When we walk on uneven surfaces, the unevenness irritates many receptors on the plantar side of the foot. Receptors signal the muscles in the foot to turn on and contract. The muscles are being trained. When contacting a flat surface, the foot does not receive many different signals, but one. Only a few muscles work - and so on over and over again. Muscles that are not activated when walking become weak and the foot begins to deform.
How can you tell if your feet are deformed?
There are only three main signs of planovalgus foot deformity. If there is at least one, this is a reason to think about a visit to an orthopedist.
- My legs get tired and hurt quickly.
Pain is associated with deformation if it appears during physical activity and does not bother you at night. Moreover, some places in the foot suffer more than others. First, the heel: the plantar fascia on the sole becomes chronically inflamed, and the heel hurts when walking, especially when taking the first steps in the morning. Secondly, the tendons that connect the joints in the big toe area: they also become inflamed and painful. - Calluses appeared on my feet.
The foot becomes deformed, the load when walking is distributed incorrectly, and calluses appear on the plantar surface. If you take them to a dermatologist, he will refer you to an orthopedist, because he himself can only cope with the symptoms: prescribe medications that soften the skin and promote its exfoliation. But the overload of the sole of the foot and the skin in this area will remain, and calluses will appear again. - The shoes became too small.
Our bones stop growing by age 22. Later, the leg increases in size only in two cases: if it swells or if the bones in it become deformed. In the second case, the forefoot usually widens, so shoes with a narrow toe feel especially tight and uncomfortable.
Active gymnastics
The list of exercises depends on the patient’s condition, type of injury and disease. Let's list the most popular:
- For the neck. Press the head to the chest, bend the neck, turn right and left.
- For hands. Flexion and extension of the fingers, movements of the elbow and wrist joints, raising and spreading the arms to the sides.
- For legs. Clenching and unclenching fingers, extending and moving feet, knees and hips.
- Prevention of thrombosis includes exercises such as “scissors” and “bicycle”.
- To prevent constipation, the patient should alternately inflate and retract the stomach in a position with bent knees.
Exercises have a positive effect not only on the physical, but also on the emotional state of the patient. This is a kind of way of communication between the patient and the person caring for him. Professional nurses advise carrying out gymnastic procedures in a good mood and ventilating the room where the patient is in advance. Charging should be carried out daily, taking into account the doctor’s instructions and the patient’s condition.
How then to take care of your feet?
If the foot is severely deformed, only surgery can cure it. But if the foot has just begun to change, the process can be stopped. The first step to take is to check if you are wearing the right shoes.
Instead of the one that did not pass the test, buy sneakers: they minimally restrict the movement of the foot and therefore cause the least harm to it.
Signs of the right shoes
- Does not hinder movement
. Stand on your toes. It should be simple. If not, the shoes are harmful to your feet. - Doesn't feel like a burden on your feet.
If you wear shoes all day and don't feel tired in your feet, you'll be fine. - The material is soft.
The denser the material of the shoe, the more it restricts the movement of the foot. - The sole is also soft.
If the sole of the shoe is hard, it completely disables one of the elements of walking - the heel-to-toe roll. Normally, we walk like this: first we touch the ground with our heel, then we roll onto our toes, and with the next step we push off from it. The softer the sole, the greater the roll and the better for the muscles. - The sole is wide.
The sole of the shoe must completely cover the plantar surface of our foot, otherwise the foot will roll inward. - The nose is not narrowed.
A narrow nose blocks the intermetatarsal muscles in the forefoot and contributes to their atrophy. - The heel is no higher than 3 cm.
When we increase the instep in the rear foot, that is, we stand on heels, the load on the forefoot increases enormously. Result: the foot is deformed.
The second step in taking care of your feet is to buy orthotics.
The insole will artificially support the arch of the foot - that part of the sole that should not touch the surface, but due to deformation it becomes flat. The load will be distributed evenly and the deformation will slow down. It is better not to buy ready-made insoles, but to make them according to your own measurements so that they best fit your foot. It’s also worth asking your doctor or a consultant at an orthopedic store how the insole is made: the most modern ones have a spring mechanism that helps to further train the foot muscles when walking.
The third step is to do isolated exercises to strengthen the muscles of the foot
. Isolated - because we target the muscles in the foot that have weakened, strengthen them and stop the progression of foot deformity [, ]. Actually, we do approximately the same thing during regular strength training, doing exercises either on the abdominal muscles or on the back muscles.
The set of exercises for the feet below is for plano-valgus deformation of the feet, which almost everyone who wears shoes has to one degree or another. You can add it to your regular workout. Or do this warm-up for your feet during a break at work: it just takes 20–25 minutes. For each exercise, do three sets of 12 repetitions. You need to perform the complex at least three times a week.
Exercise 1. Massage the foot with a roller
The secret ingredient in this exercise is a massage roller. This is a special rolling pin with pimples, which can be bought at an orthopedic salon or ordered online.
So, sit down and place the roller on the floor so that your feet can comfortably touch it. Roll your entire foot on the roller from toes to heel. Then the second one. This way you massage the foot, improve blood flow in it and prepare it for the next exercises.
Exercise 2. Crawling forward with your fingers
A very simple exercise: you just need to crawl with your foot forward. To do this, sit comfortably on a chair, place your feet on the floor, rest your heel on the floor and move them forward with your toes. The toes crawl, the foot moves forward. Now repeat the same thing, only crawl backwards. And then - with the second foot. This is how you train the lumbrical muscles. They are located between the metatarsal bones and are especially affected if shoes have heels.
Exercise 3. Standing on your toes
All you need to do is stand on your toes and go back down. You can do this with both legs at the same time, or alternately. It is important to do the exercise slowly: do not jump from heel to toe and from toe to heel, but slowly roll onto your toes, and then slowly return to your heel. A more difficult version of the exercise is to stand on one leg, hold the other in weight and rise onto your toes, holding onto the support with your hands so as not to fall. This will strengthen your calf muscle, which also helps maintain healthy foot shape.
1. Circles
While sitting or lying down, stretch your legs out in front of you. Elevate them or lean lightly on your heels. Make circles with your toes while rotating your feet at the ankle. First, make 6 circles inward (thumbs together as you move from top to bottom), then 6 circles outward (reverse to the previous one). After this, do 6 circles with both feet in the same direction clockwise and 6 circles counterclockwise. Try to make the circles as wide as possible, moving your feet as far as possible in each direction. The center of the circle should not move.
Exercise 4. Lean on the edge of the foot
Place one foot flat on the floor and the other on your toes. We will work with the first leg, and place the second on the toe to further increase the load on the first. Lift the inside edge of your foot on the first leg, moving your weight to the outside edge of your foot. Switch legs and repeat the same thing, lifting the inner edge of the foot that first stood on the toe.
Be careful: the leg should not fall to the side, the big toe remains in contact with the ground. If you perform the exercise correctly, you will train the tibialis posterior muscle. This muscle moves the foot inward and is not used during everyday walking. But if you put your foot too far on the outer edge, the ankle ligaments will stretch and the tibialis posterior muscle will turn off.
Principles of physical education for arthrosis.
- “Walking accessibility” - don’t rush things - enjoy the slightest success achieved, the range of movements should be increased very carefully, gradually. Energetic, forced movements are contraindicated
- “Work in the pain-free zone” - stop doing the exercises when pain appears, and under no circumstances “overcome the pain.”
- “Light mechanical load with static unloading” - exercises are best performed in a light state - lying or sitting, movements in the joints should be done slowly, but with sufficient amplitude.
- “Move, but avoid overload” - movements should not be too intense, causing injury to the affected joint.
- “Hardware physical training” - devices help stretch and relax the joint.
- “Physical training in the pool” - there is no vertical load on the joints, mechanical and psychological comfort is achieved.
- “Regularity” of exercises. Repeat the exercises frequently throughout the day for a few minutes
- “Assessment of the arthrosis phase” - exacerbation or remission of arthrosis determines the intensity of exercise
Exercise 5. Raising the arch of the foot
Another exercise that targets the tibialis posterior muscle. Place your feet straight and lift the arch of your foot - that place in the sole area that normally does not touch the ground and forms the instep of the foot. This must be done on both legs at the same time. As in the previous exercise, the feet should not fall too far on the outer edge. To prevent this from happening, do not lift your thumb off the floor.
By the way, due to the fact that we rarely use the tibialis posterior muscle, after the exercise it may become tired and a little sore. Don't be alarmed: this is normal, especially if you are doing the warm-up for the first time.
Features of the event
The nature of the exercise should be determined by the doctor. Most often, warm-ups begin to be done in a hospital setting. At home, you must follow your doctor's instructions. Initially, passive gymnastics is done, then, if the patient’s condition allows, isometric exercises and active warm-up are added.
Physical activity can be supplemented with breathing exercises. All manipulations are performed smoothly, the intensity should increase gradually. The exercises should not cause pain to the patient; each of them should be performed 3-4 repetitions. The entire exercise should take no more than 10-20 minutes, so that the patient does not have time to become too tired.