How to use Physical Therapy Exercises for Feet Problem?

Foot injuries are some of the most common injuries, especially among athletes and old people. Moreover, these injuries are more devastating as we need our feet to walk and perform daily life routines. Thankfully, there are many recovering techniques that you can use to cure foot injury. One of the more popular techniques is Physical therapy.

The physical therapy program is based around exercise that is designed to restore joint range of motion, neuromuscular coordination, muscle strength, and gait mechanics, etc. This makes physical therapy exercises suited for feet injuries.

Common Types of Foot and Ankle Problems

Before we look at how you can deal with feet problem using physical therapy exercises, let’s go through some common types of feet problem that can be solved by physical therapy.

1. Turf Toe – This is quite a common injury among professional players. It occurs when the player sustains a sprain to the ligaments of the big toe joint.
2. Plantar Fasciitis – This is a very serious injury, and it happens when there is a flat band strain in the tissue connecting a person’s heel bones to their toes. This heel pain can make the foot weak, swollen, and even irritated with time.
3. Bunion – This is a type of bony bump present at the base of the big toe joint. It causes your big toe to turn towards the second finger, resulting in discomfort and a lot of pain.
4. Achilles Tendonitis – This occurs when the Achilles tendon becomes inflamed
5. Achilles Rupture – This happens when the Achilles tendon is separated or torn in an accident. It happens due to a sudden, forceful action in and around the calf.
6. Broken Ankle – When one or more of the bones in your ankle is broken.
7. Metatarsalgia – If you overuse your forefoot, it ends in experiencing a lot of pain and inflammation. This condition is known as metatarsalgia.

Foot and Ankle Stress Fractures

Stress fractures are minor breaks in the bones. They generally occur after repetitive stress in an area.

These are just a few common foot injuries that can be dealt with physical therapy exercises. Now let’s move to the exercises which you heal you faster.

Physical Therapy Exercise for Feet Problem

Physical therapy is applied based on two-pronged goals. The first goal is to reduce any pain or discomfort in your feet and then work to better your injured bone, joint, or muscle functionality. When addressing any problem in the feet, the physical therapist starts with basic PT performance training such as balancing, gait (how you walk), bearing any weight (hold your body’s weight on your foot).

Here are a few exercises which normally used by physical therapists –

1. Toe lifts – First, sit on a chair with feet flat on the floor. Then lift your big toe slightly from the ground while leaving the other four down. Start with a single toe and then eventually raise the rest four. So, start with the big toe and end with the fifth one.
2. Toe curls – Place a towel on the ground and then lay your right foot on it. Now stretch your toes out and pull them back in to grip the material with your toes. After this lift the cloth a few inches off the ground and hold for five seconds. Repeat this five times and then do this with the left foot.
3. Picking up marble – If the previous exercise seems too much, you can also lift marble or small bowl to start a few sessions. This also works as a quick exercise if you live in and around Kew Gardens.
4. Writes Alphabet with toes – Similarly, when you write alphabets, you twist your feet and move around a lot, which also acts as an exercise and is a fun activity as well. You can play games with someone using this exercise.
5. Calf Raises: This is one the easiest yet effective exercise which you can do. All you have to do is to raise your calf 10-15 times for a couple of sets. This exercise comes under ACL physical therapy exercise.
6. Move your angle: This is a risky but important exercise. Sit in a position with legs stretched straight in front of you. Now move your feet in circular motion without moving any other part.
7. Massage your feet: The final exercise is to massage your feet, especially if you suffer a problem while playing or exercising. A relaxing massage will increase circulation in your feet. This also prevents any further injuries, such as muscle strains or sprains.

These are some of the minor physical therapy exercises which you can practice if you suffer from feet problem. We also suggest that you consult a doctor before indulging in exercise so that you don’t face any problem.