Foot Strengthening Exercises

The feet are so important to a person’s overall health and wellbeing. As well as the 26 bones, 30 joints and dozens of tendons and ligaments, there are 29 muscles associated with the feet. Ten of those originate outside the foot but cross the ankle joint to act on the foot, and 19 are what we refer to as intrinsic foot muscles.

The primary functions of these muscles are movement and stability. So when there’s a problem with the muscles in the feet or when the muscles are weak, this can lead to pain, injury and issues with mobility.

Why do we need help strengthening the foot?

The chances of becoming injured are reduced by a significant percentage if the muscles in the feet are strong. The aim of any treatment with YourFootClinic is to make sure that the muscles in the feet are strong enough to support the activity which the patient wishes to undertake.

Studies show that patients recover more quickly when they combine at-home exercises with in-clinic treatments. So our approach is to use treatments such as strapping, shockwave or laser in conjunction with a prescription for exercises to complete at home in between appointments.

These exercises strengthen the muscles in feet and those in the lower legs where they attach into the feet. By building up strength, we prevent injury, and recover and rehab from injuries more effectively.

What are some examples of foot strengthening exercises?

Lots of the muscles work in groups to control movement within the feet. So by building up strength within certain muscles, the feet work more effectively to support the body, posture and movement. That’s why patients who come to see us will usually always leave with an exercise prescription to complement the treatments we administer in the Clinic.

The regime is specific to each patient but broadly follows the same process:

1. Starting off with simple exercises and basic movements to increase the range of motion, flexibility and mobility. These are usually completed whilst sitting in a chair or swimming pool to limit the impact of body weight and pressure on the feet.
2. Over time, the programme progresses as the feet become stronger. The cumulative effect of doing a few exercises every day is very effective at making the feet stronger.
3. Regularly reviewing the exercises and making modifications to the programme as well as using exercises to mimic the movements someone might make in their sport or hobby can help to strengthen specific muscles to support particular movement patterns and avoid injury.

Some examples of exercises a patient might expect to do at home include:

• Single or double leg calf raises – practicing this helps with the mechanics of walking
• Single leg balancing with eyes closed – this increases stability in feet and helps prevent rolling the ankles
• Toe scrunch with towel or resistance bands – this helps to increase the strength of some of the smaller muscles in the feet
• Foot massage with ball – this releases tight muscles in the feet (tight muscles generally mean weak muscles) 
• Arch stretch – using a Theraband/resistance band – to build a strong, stable arch which is important for propulsion when walking and running

Each exercise will usually only take one or two minutes each and you can read about each of them in more detail on our blog. Patients practice their exercises in the clinic before they leave and are provided with an online programme where they can watch videos of the exercises with indications for the number of repetitions and frequency.

Usually, patients will need to continue with their exercise for a number of weeks or months to build strength and/or recover from injury. The more diligent someone is with their exercises the faster they will progress towards their goal.