Toe points, heel raises, and golf ball massage exercises can help you relieve foot and ankle pain. Read on for how you can benefit from these simple exercises.
There is an old saying that when your feet hurt your whole body hurts. Unfortunately, our feet carry much of the burden of our day-to-day lives. Everything from standing still to exercising requires our feet to be in motion. We stuff our feet into shoes that are too tight and run them ragged all day long until we can’t bear to stand up any longer, then we wake up the next morning and start it all over again.
This constant use makes foot pain more common. Problems like heel spurs and bunions can cause heel pain and toe pain to develop over time. Your podiatrist in Boca Raton can help you develop preventative strategies and introduce you to treatment options to reduce foot pain, but there are also exercises you can do at home to relieve foot pain and keep your feet in tip-top shape.
Before or after a long day on your feet, give a few of these exercises a try:
- Toe points. While sitting down, stretch your feet out in front of you and point your toes forward. Focusing on one foot at a time, lift your leg slightly and flex your ankle to a ninety-degree angle before gradually rolling your foot back into a pointing position. Alternating feet, repeat this exercise ten times.
- Heel raises. Do this exercise while standing with either a wall or sturdy chair for support. Gradually lift your weight onto your tiptoes and hold your weight on your toes for several seconds before gradually lowering back to your heels. This exercise is also great at relieving cramps in the calves. Repeat this exercise ten times.
- Golf ball massage. You can do this activity while sitting at your desk at work or while watching TV on your couch. With your shoe off, put a golf ball under the bottom of your foot. Roll your foot around and apply light pressure as the golf ball massages the muscles and tendons in your arch, toes, and heel.
If you are experiencing chronic or severe foot pain then these exercises likely won’t help. Talk with your podiatrist Dr. Schoenhaus about different foot pain treatment options and to learn ways to prevent future foot injuries.
