Give Your Sore Feet Some Love

Have you thanked your feet lately? They are so important! They connect you to the ground and keep you moving forward, be it walking, running, or riding. Considering how much they do for us, we don’t really give them that much attention. Whenever I talk about feet during a class, someone admits that they never think about their feet… Yet every one of us has times that sore feet are a problem.

What Causes Sore Feet?

Here are just a few of the reasons why your arches or heels might be aching: 

1. Poor fitting shoes
2. High heels
3. Standing for long periods of time
4. Repetitive movements like running or walking
5. Weight gain
6. Weak glutes and core
7. Poor ankle mobility
8. Tight calves

While some of the reasons are avoidable, others aren’t. We can’t help it if we love running, or work on our feet all day. So what is there to do about sore feet?

Building Mobility and Strength in Your Feet

Despite how important our feet are in all we do, “foot exercises” aren’t common in most people’s workout routine, or even on their radar. You’ll be happy to know that it isn’t all that difficult to start treating your feet – and many methods feel AMAZING. Have you ever had relaxed feet before? You are about to!

Couch Exercises. One of my favourite things to do for my feet is to practice pointing and flexing them in a way that you are almost “rippling” them. If you’ve never done this, it is going to take a lot of practice! But it is possible to have fine motor skills with your feet, just like your hands. Think of those born without hands who do everything with their feet. 

After I move my feet in all the ways I can, I work on making full circles from the ankle joint. Make circles one way then the other, being sure that the big toe points to each corner of the room. 

Ball Rolling. I love to put a small ball under my foot and roll my foot over them. There is a system called the Melt Method which comes with three balls in different sizes and densities. I also hand out little bouncy balls that I purchased on Amazon to students as a gift. You gently put your weight on the ball in various positions and then roll your foot over it. I have a great routine we do in class, and one student told me that he keeps the ball in his desk and does the foot routine while he is at work. I love this!

Pilates. Whether on the mat or the apparatus, any Pilates workout addresses your feet. The best part? You don’t even notice that it’s happening! For example in the Hundred, your feet are pointed (plantar flexed), then during the roll up your feet are flexed (dorsi flexed). Other times, we focus on hugging the feet and really lifting the arches. Sneaky Pilates wins again! 

Find a Foot Professional. It can be very helpful to invest in seeking professional help for your feet, especially if you are experiencing a lot of pain. A massage done by an RMT or Reflexologist is soooo relaxing. My Chiropractor will adjust my ankles for me, and the next run I do afterwards feels like I’m floating! When I strained a tendon in my foot, I saw a Podiatrist who taped my foot – which felt like a happy hug. It only took a few days of taping for my foot to feel great again, which was amazing considering I’d been trying on my own for months to fix the pain. 

It’s All Starts (or Ends) At Your Feet

When it comes to referred foot pain, keep in mind that our body is a complex, connected system. Our feet, calves, knees, hips, and back are all connected, for example. An imbalance or weakness in one area will lead to pain or possible injury in connected areas.

So when you don’t move, stretch, or strengthen your feet, it can lead to pain or lack of ankle mobility and stability. Or if you do something repetitive like running and your feet aren’t moving through their full range of motion, you will eventually start to feel the pain elsewhere. 

Read More: Pilates for Your Feet

A little bit of movement every day can go a long way in keeping your body moving and feeling strong, even for our tired and overworked feet. Whether you choose to do Pilates with me or start rippling your feet while watching Scrubs reruns, be consistent and you’re sure to see results.