Foot & Ankle Stretches
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Our feet and ankles are the foundation of our bodies but often do not receive the care they deserve after supporting us all day. Our feet not only support our body weight, but with each step we take, extra pressure is added to them. This extra pressure equates to about 1.5 times our body weight when walking and up to 3-4 times our body weight when running. The ankle joint is one of the most important joints in our body when it comes to maintaining our balance. It also contains the strongest tendon in the body, the Achilles tendon!
Try these stretches to better support your feet and ankles. Stop if you feel any pain while performing these stretches. If you have a history of foot surgery or injury, discuss with your doctor before attempting these exercises.
While seated in a chair, place a small ball, like a lacrosse ball or tennis ball underneath your foot. Slowly apply pressure downward while rolling the ball back and forth under your foot. Continue rolling for up to 5 minutes and repeat on the other foot.
Anchor one end of a towel under your heel while sitting on the ground with your leg outstretched. Once the towel is anchored under the heel, bring the rest of the towel up and around the bottom of the foot and over the toes. Keeping the heel in contact with the ground, gently pull the towel towards you until you feel the stretch in the bottom of the foot. Hold this stretch for 20 seconds and repeat the movement three times.
Place a small block or roller underneath your lower leg if seated on the floor or cross your ankle over the opposite knee if sitting in a chair. With the elevated leg, rotate your foot clockwise 10 times, creating circles. Then, complete the same movement in the counterclockwise direction. Repeat on the opposite leg.
Place your hands on a wall in front of you for support and step one foot back. With the toes of both feet pointing towards the wall, keep the heel of the back foot on the ground. Begin to bend the knee on the front leg while bringing your body closer to the wall until you feel a stretch in your back lower leg. Hold this position for 20 seconds and then switch legs. Repeat this three times.
Sitting in a chair, place your feet flat on the ground with your toes facing forward. Curl all of your toes inwards and hold this for ten seconds, then extend your toes upwards, fanning them out, and hold this position for ten seconds. Return your feet to the starting position and repeat this sequence of movements ten times.
Written by: Amy McKeown, Health Promotion Coordinator
