How to keep your feet strong whilst doing the Cape to Cape!

Some easy exercises to keep your feet strong before and after the walk. These exercises can be done both in the lead up to the walk, during the walk during rest periods and afterwards also for recovery.

These exercises are based on Barefoot Rehabilitation of the feet, aimed at conditioning your feet!

Below are some exercises that you can do and are separated into specific exercises for specific types of pain that you may experience in your feet and lower limbs:

Heel & Arch Pain

Tennis Ball Calf Raise: Start by standing upright and holding the wall for support. Ensure that your weight is evenly distributed between feet. Spread toes apart and place a tennis ball between the heel. Hold the ball in place by squeezing your heels together. Raise onto tiptoes for three seconds, then lower down for three seconds. Repeat this exercise ten times. Focus on keeping weight evenly across the forefoot and that toes straight, especially at the top of the raise.

Foot Core Brace: Start by making sure the feet are in their best posture with the weight evenly spread between the heel, big toe joint and little toe joint. Spread the toes out to complete your best foot posture. Once in position, lightly press the tips of the toes in the ground. Make sure you are not pressing too hard and the toes are curled or buckling. It is a very subtle movement that is lifting your ‘foot core’. Hold for twenty seconds.

Toe Scrunch: Curl all toes in a downward direction. Hold for three seconds. Relax the foot. Repeat this stretch ten times on each foot.

Bunion & Toe Problems

The exercises denoted in the previous section are also beneficial for prevention of bunion and toe pain. These specifically include the Big toe raise, the four toe raise and the toe spread. Please refer to the previous page for details.

Calf Raise – with correct toes: Stand and hold the wall for support. Ensure weight is evenly distributed between feet. Spread toes apart and straighten them. Lift up onto your tiptoes, raise up and slowly lower your feet to the floor and. Repeat this exercise ten times.

Concentrate on keeping weight evenly across forefoot and that the toes are straight, especially at the top of the raise.

Poor Balance or History of Ankle Sprains

Band Ankle Strength: Use an exercise band to resist slow ankle movements in all four directions. Relax after one full rotation, and repeat this exercise ten times on both feet.

Tip for Exercise
If you find that you are having trouble with straightening your toes while performing these exercises you can hold them in place with your hands, tape or bands.

Single-Leg Balance Shift weight to one foot. Find a position where the foot has weight evenly distributed between the heel, big toe joint and little toe joint. Lift the opposite leg. This exercise aims to be able to stand on one leg for 30 seconds without any unsteadiness. Repeat on the other leg. You can challenge yourself by closing your eyes.

Skiing: Place both feet hip-width apart. While bending your knees slightly, shift your bodyweight side to side in a skiing motion for 30 seconds.

Egg Beater: Shift weight to one foot/leg. Find a position where the foot has weight evenly distributed. Lift the opposite leg and rotate in circles, 15 clockwise, 15 anticlockwise. Repeat with the other leg.

Stretching following exercise:

Knee to wall ankle mobilisation: Stand facing a wall with one foot roughly 10cm away from the wall. While keeping foot flat, the heel on the ground, bend the knee toward the wall. Slowly repeat the movement from a straight knee, toward the wall then return to straight. Ensure your toe points directly toward the wall and that the knee tracks straight over the toes.

Heel Drop Calf Stretch: Stand up straight, hold the wall for support. Hang heels off a step. Alternatively, you can roll a towel and stand with the front of the foot on the towel and the heels hang off.
Ball Myofascial Release: Starting with a ball on the ground, place the arch of the foot on the ball. Roll the ball slowly with your foot in all directions, releasing/softening the tense muscles in the arch of your foot.

You can also try placing the heel on the ground and rolling the ball under the arch in an arc-like motion.

Arch stretch: Stand facing a wall, on the leg on front of the other. perform a traditional calf stretch but to stretch the arch, place a rolled towel under the toe of the back foot.

Toe Stretch: Stand with one foot behind the other. With the back foot, place the top of this foot on the ground to feel a stretch at the front of the leg and top of toes and foot.

These exercises should be able to be performed without causing excessive strain to the targeted muscles. If any of these exercises cause pain or discomfort cease the exercise and contact your local Podiatrist.

When to see a Podiatrist for your foot needs?

You need to see a podiatrist if you are experiencing the following

• Acute Muscular Skeletal pain – if they have injured themselves whilst exercising at home or on a walk/run
• In grown toenails – particularly if infected
• Cracked heels/fissures – particularly if they have become open wounds
• Open wounds in the case of diabetic patients – resulting from dropping something or injuring their toes and feet

Christine McCallum
Podiatrist at Carousel Podiatry
www.carouselpodiatry.com.au