Our feet are our foundation. Much like the foundation of a building, our feet need to be solid and balanced in order for the rest of the body to follow suite. Did you know, there are 26 bones, 30 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the feet? WOW! Check out these 5 tips to keep your feet as functional as possible and pain free!
Proper Footwear
Without proper shoes, our feet CANNOT be functional. Shoes need to be wide enough (no feet spilling over the edges!), long enough (no toes touching the ends of your shoes), and have a low heel to toe ratio. Many traditional running shoes have a heel with a significantly higher height than the toes. This puts the foot in a compromised position and can create compensation patterns. Here are a few of my favorite shoes to recommend to patients:
For kids, I love Ten Little brand.
We will go over this much more extensively in our free dinner with the docs next week. Tune in live from the comfort of your own home!
ROLL YOUR FEET
Take your favorite ball (mine is a lacrosse ball) and place it on the ground. While sitting (you can stand if you like) gently roll out the whole bottom of your foot with the ball. Make sure to spend time working any tender spots with medium pressure. This should not be excruciating, but may be a bit sore. Spend 2 - 5 minutes on each foot. If you are experiencing foot pain, many like to use a frozen water bottle as well. Do this morning and night to get your feet moving! Check out this video that outlines how to perform this release.
FOOT DETOX
We can’t only talk about physical health! The pores in our feet are the largest of the body and are frequently releasing toxins through sweat. Have you noticed increased foot odor, sweating, or stinky shoes? Time for a detox! Ionic foot detoxifications don’t only detox the feet, but the whole body, and are a safe and gentle way to support your health. To learn more about foot detox, click here, and call our office today to schedule!
REFLEXOLOGY
Rolling and stretching not enough for you? Reflexology can be an amazing modality to help restore balance to the feet - and also has a whole body approach. Different points on the foot, through reflexology, are correlated with the body systems. Many people don’t only experience relief from foot pain, but also enjoy a sense or relaxation, calm, increased energy, mood, better digestive balance, and more! Learn more about reflexology here, and call today to book a session with our reflexologist, Maria!
GO BAREFOOT!
Our feet are designed to work for us, alone! Shoes can be a great fashion statement, and protect our feet from the elements, but we shouldn’t “need” them for support. Remember the 26 bones, 30 joints, and over 100 other tissues? They are designed to MOVE and propel us. This can only happen properly barefoot. It’s so important to exercise our feet just like every other muscle and joint of the body. Used to always wearing shoes? Start small, with just 2-5 minutes per day of walking around your home without shoes or slippers…and gradually build up! Your feet will thank you!
Tune in next week, February 9th at 7pm live on facebook or instagram to learn more about how to properly support the health of your feet! Register here.
In health,
Dr. Abby Kramer