Did you know that stretching your feet can lead to increased circulation, better cardiovascular health, and improved balance? Stretching the feet and promoting better flexibility leads to having an increased range of motion. This strengthens your foot and ankle muscles, allowing them to be more stable. Stable feet lead to fewer injuries! Let’s learn more about different stretching exercises that can give you these amazing benefits.
Roll: You can use simple household objects to stretch your feet. First, grab a water bottle, can, or other cylindrical object. Simply place it under your foot and roll it back and forth, from the front of your foot to the back of the heel. You can roll your foot in this way for about a minute per foot and repeat a few times a day or whenever necessary. Daily stretching is the best way to keep your feet flexible and strong. Another simple foot stretch is to place a ball, like a lacrosse ball, under your foot and roll it while applying gentle pressure.
Stretch: This next exercise can be done while sitting on the floor. Use either a towel, exercise band, light blanket, or any similar object. While sitting, extend your leg out and fold the material length wise. Place the band between the ball of the foot and the heel, along the arch and hold the ends of the band or material. Pull gently on the material and allow it to extend the foot towards your body until it feels like a comfortable stretch. You don’t want it to feel painful. Hold the stretch for about 15 seconds and then switch to your other foot.
We hope this gives you a good start to stretching and strengthening the muscles supporting your feet and ankles. If something doesn’t feel right or you need further assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us for more help.
At Howard County Foot and Ankle, we treat everything from warts and ingrown toenails to flatfeet and heel pain. Many people come to us for diabetic foot care or simply because they have foot pain or ankle pain and don’t know the cause of it. We handle emergencies such as fractures and infections as well. Dr. Bui performs a wide variety of surgeries and specializes in reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle. You won’t find a better foot doctor than our highly skilled and highly qualified, Dr. Christina Bui! Call or email us to ask any questions you might have. We would love to be your go-to Podiatrist!
