Feet and ankles play a huge
role in your life. Admit it, when your feet hurt, you pretty much hurt all
over. The actual process of walking is
quite marvelous. Think about how many miles your feet have walked and how many
times your ankles have had to bend, swing, and swivel in order complete this
simple function. From ankles to toes,
your feet provide you with a safe and stable support. All of the rest of your
joints depend on well functioning feet in order to keep you in an upright position.
Most of the foot problems
that materialize between age 40 and 60 can be prevented. Your job is to appreciate these marvelous
appendages and take care of them, and to seek professional help as soon as you
feel any discomfort that starts to slow you down.
What happens to feet as we
age? As we age the feet become longer
and the skin gets thinner. The fluids
that keep the bones and joints lubricated decreases, the arches flatten out,
and the foot widens. Ouch. You may have to swallow your pride and buy
shoes a size or two larger than you used to, and that is a bummer. Good shoes, paying attention to painful
signals and keeping your feet strong and supple have always been important but
now it becomes a matter of being able to walk pain free or not.
As foot problems increase, older people have
considerably more problems in regards to balance. To counteract all of this, it is important to
build stability and work on balance exercises.
Ankle strengthening exercises for the feet and ankles can help prevent
injuries as well as speed up the recovery process if you are already having
trouble. Prevention is the key word. Sad
but true, we generally ignore our feet (except for painting toe nails and maybe
a pedicure from time to time) until something goes wrong. Healthy feet are a must at any age.
I liked the suggestions
recommended by Randy Raugh MPT in his excellent book” Prime for Life,” (2009).
All it takes is some simple stretches to help keep your feet healthy, strong
and flexible. We are talking about a few
minutes a day here so I think you can fit this into your schedule. Try this while watching television tonight:
- Raise and curl toes 10 times, holding each
position for 5 counts
- Push off from your toes when you walk
- Practice picking up objects from the floor with
your feet
- Pump your feet up and down to stretch the calf
and shin muscles
- Try standing on one leg while lifting the other
one off the floor, bending it 90 degrees (yes it is okay to use a chair
for balance). Slowly and smoothly
rise up on the toes of your straight leg.
Repeat 10 times before switching to the other foot. Another version suggests concentrating
on raising the toes of your standing foot up and repeating 5 times.
The experts say to avoid
activities that cause pain in your feet, but you know that isn’t likely to
happen because you are using your feet every single day. The key is to be mindful of your feet and add
a few exercises for toe and ankle strength to your regular workout program. Inspect your feet regularly, trim the nails
straight across and make sure that your shoes fit comfortably. If your start to experience pain and it is
interfering with activities of daily living, it is time to see a specialist. If you want to be active and independent you
need to be mindful of your feet.
Comments