At some point in our lives, many of us will experience foot pain. The following exercises address muscular weaknesses in our feet and ankles to prevent injuries.
Build stronger calf muscles with these exercises!
Tibialis Posterior Activation
Tibialis Posterior Activation
Tibialis Posterior Activation
The Tibialis Posterior muscle runs down the inside of your shin bone, wraps around your inner ankle and attaches at the bottom of your foot. This is an important muscle to keep healthy and strong especially for runners, soccer players and individuals with poor walking mechanics.
Attach a band to something sturdy like the leg of a bench, heavy table or bed.
Start in a seated position with your heel on the ground.
Loop the band around the inside of your foot.
While maintaining resistance in the band throughout the entire exercise, pull the band away and slowly resist it back to starting position.
Move from the ankle, not from the foot .
Peroneal Activation
Peroneal Activation
Peroneal Activation
The Peroneal muscles and tendons run along the outside of the lower leg. They attach to the outer part of the midfoot and under the foot near the inside of the arch. The peroneal tendons play a critical role in stabilizing the foot and ankle, protecting them from sprains, foot pain and related injuries.
As with the Tibialis Posterior activation, this exercise uses a resistance band to target the muscles.
Attach a band to something sturdy like the leg of a bench, heavy table or bed.
Start in a seated position with your heel on the ground.
Loop the band around the outside of your foot.
While maintaining resistance in the band throughout the entire exercise, pull the band away and slowly resist it back to starting position
Move from ankle, not from foot
Resisted Tibial Internal Rotation Knee Hinges
Resisted Tibial Internal Rotation Knee Hinges
Resisted Tibial Internal Rotation Knee Hinges
This is a more challenging exercise to strengthen your Tibialis Posterior muscle. Due to the difficulty of this exercise, focus more on quality of the exercise and less on quantity. You will gain far more from the exercise if you do a few high quality movements versus lots of poor quality movements.
Attach a band to something sturdy like the leg of a bench, heavy table or bed.
Start in a seated position with your heel on the ground.
Loop the band around the ball of your foot, making sure the band has tension.
Raise your heel off the ground and begin to bend and straighten your knee. Having the knee out will help activate the tibia.
Your foot should be bent inwards and your knee tilted outwards.
Your foot should remain raised and there should always be tension in the band.
Perform 2-4 sets of 4-8 reps or until fatigue.
Lateral Tibia Ankle Mobilization
Lateral Tibia Ankle Mobilization
Lateral Tibia Ankle Mobilization
Here is a great stretch that focuses on the tibia, which is often overlooked in many stretching exercises and will help to relieve ankle and foot pain.
Use a chair, wall or table for support.
With a bend in both knees, step one leg back and cross slightly behind the front foot.
Only go as far as your back foot remains firmly planted on the ground and pointed forward.
You should feel a stretch below your ankle bone and up along the inside of your lower leg.
Hold for 30 - 60 seconds or until you feel the tension release.