Keeping your feet strong and flexible can help reduce your chances of getting hurt. Doing exercises that improve your range of motion and help limber up your feet will help reduce foot and ankle pain minimize muscle soreness, overall foot health, and keep you active.
If you do these foot stretches and strengthening exercises regularly, your feet will thank you. The stiffness and aches will subside. The exercises can relieve your heel and arch pain, even prevent hammertoes and stop toe cramps.
Try to do them 3 to 5 days a week to help increase your range of motion and strength for lifelong foot health.
1. Toe raise
Plant foot to the floor and raise toes up and leave heel on the ground; hold for 5 second
Repeat 10 times
2. Toe splay
Spread all your toes apart as far as comfortable. Hold for 5 seconds.
3. Toe Curls
Place feet flat on the ground. Scrunch your toes and pull them towards you; Repeat with both feet
4. Toe Extension Pick one foot up and place it on your opposite thigh. Grab your toes with one hand and pull them up toward your ankle until you feel a stretch
5. Big-toe stretch Pick one foot up and place it on your opposite thigh. Gently use your fingers to stretch your big toe up, down, and to the side away from the other toes; Hold.
6. Tennis ball roll
Place the tennis ball on the floor, put your foot on top of the tennis ball and roll it around.
7. Toe Lift and press
Feet flat on the floor, lift all your toes, then press only your big toe down 10 times; Repeat with your little toe.
These exercises and stretches shouldn’t be painful. Be gentle with yourself. You could be pressing too hard on the tennis ball or stretching too far. Ease up a bit. If it still hurts, stop the exercise and talk to your doctor or physical therapist about how to proceed.