Improving Foot Health and Balance
With todays modern shoe we often compress and squeeze our feet in there everyday. Not to mention tight and restricted athletic gear, the lack of barefoot walking, we now have a setup for disaster when it comes to foot health.
The feet are so important because they are literally the first thing that communicates the body with the environment and vice versa. This communication from the ground up sends feedback to where the body is in space and therefore it influences our body position from that point. That is why a lot of knee pain, hip pain, and initial phases of compensation (back pain) can be related to poor foot strength.
The more we compress our feet, the more weak and de-conditioned we become. The more this happens, the greater the risk for injury somewhere throughout the body becomes. In addition, this can lead to poor balance and coordination.
As we age (and after injury) we tend to lose our coordination and balance. It is very important that you begin to maintain it from the beginning and that anyone suffering from foot pain and/or an ankle sprain properly rehabilitate the foot so that they can get back health without it causing any further dysfunction along the kinetic chain.
In this episode, rather than rolling out the bottoms of the feet to help foot pain, I show you how to focus on strengthening the foot by literally standing on an uneven surface (unsteady) such as this foam roller. Standing on the foam roller not only requires great balance but is good for the foot, ankle, and to improve leg strength. As you continue to complete this balance exercise you will notice that the foot will begin to become fatigued and you will likely lose your balance more often. At that point you will notice the foot, ankle, and balance connection. Do this exercise until you foot fatigues and you begin to lose balance but remember, be safe and get off early to avoid injury or falling.