Exercises for flat feet - when do they help? (+8 specific exercises)

Flat feet are popular topic, frequent health problem arising mainly due to today's lifestyle. It is not just about aesthetic matter, many times it can cause strong pain. What to do with it? And how does it actually arise? Are exercises for flat feet effective? Read further, you will find out.  

How does flat foot arise?

Lower limb consists of 3 parts:

• foot,
• lower leg,
• thigh.

On foot there are two arches, one longitudinal and one transverse. Their stability is ensured by muscles of lower leg and ligaments of foot. Role of arches is to lighten walking and dampen impacts of feet on ground. If for some reason muscles and ligaments cannot maintain arch, foot flattens under body weight. Primarily health problem called flat foot arises.  

How do I know if I have flat foot?

It might seem that influence of arches does not exceed lower part of body, but opposite is true. If they don't work as they should, overall posture is affected. But it can be deformation only in certain parts, most often in area of knees, hips and butt. Flat foot manifests also in form of hardened skin on sole or hammer toes. Well, and now we get to more serious phenomena. Besides aesthetic symptoms also pains of musculoskeletal system can appear, specifically ankles, knees, hips and lower back.

Are exercises for flat feet effective?

Our answer is: definitely! Here too however applies that best "medicine" for flat feet is prevention. Prevention of this health problem starts already in early childhood. Due to healthy muscle development it shouldn't be accelerated that child stands up, but wait until they do it themselves. To prevention belongs also strengthening legs and stretching regardless of age.

SEXY BODY

Exercises for flat feet help especially if arch is not completely fallen. Besides strengthening muscles it is essential to think also about joints and their active training. You don't have to think about anything complicated, it can look also like walking or standing with bare feet turned inwards.

But if arches are completely flat, we talk about rigid flatfoot. In such case exercises for flat feet should be determined by physiotherapist, but even so they might not be effective. Often surgical procedure and subsequent regular visit to physiotherapist is needed.

Exercises for flat feet

And now we are getting to essence of this article, i.e. to exercises for flat feet. You will see that they are not complicated at all, but even if temptation to "slack off" will be big, resist it. If you want to get rid of flat feet, you must bet on precision and of course also regularity.

1. Toes and heels alternately lift and return to ground. Do such waves forward and backward 10x.

2. Keep sole on ground, strongly clench toes, it is something similar to clenching fists on hands. Then return them to original position and stretch. Repeat 10x.

3. Lift "pads" on front part of foot from ground. Hold them up and this way turn your feet towards each other and away from each other.

4. Keep feet firmly on ground and try to spread your toes - big toes towards each other and pinkies outwards, away from each other.

5. Keep heels firmly on ground and bend only big toes, independently from other toes.

6. Try lifting your arches. You achieve this by pressing "bases" of toes towards heels. Then relax feet and repeat 10x.

7. "Pad" under first toe firmly press to ground without lifting heel or outer edge of foot.

8. To relax feet lightly tap toes and circle ankles.

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