Your feet are composed of 26 bones, 30 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Your feet support the weight of your entire body and carry you through your daily activities. Exercising the feet can be highly beneficial to maintain their overall health. There are a variety of simple foot exercises that focus on building strength, flexibility, and mobility in the feet. One simple strength-building exercise is a toe curl. Spread a towel out on the floor in front of you and use only your toes to scrunch it up. This exercise builds up the flexor muscles in the feet. Stretch your toes by manually moving the big toe up, down, and to the side while you sit on a chair. For more information about the many benefits of foot exercises, please consult with a chiropodist. 

Stretching and strengthening your feet is very important for maintaining your foot health. If you would like to learn more about exercises for your feet, please consult with Cynthia Chan, B.Sc., D.Ch from Healthy Advantage Foot & Orthotic Clinic. Our practitioner can help you maintain the health of your lower limbs and your mobility. 

There are a variety of relatively easy-to-do exercises that can boost the strength, flexibility, and mobility of your feet, as well as relieve foot pain.  

Strength exercises: 

• Toe splay - Spread the toes apart and hold for several seconds; improves control over toe muscles
• Toe curls - Scrunch up a towel with your toes; strengthens the flexor muscles
• Marble pickup - Pick up marbles with your toes; strengthens the muscles on the undersides of the feet and toes
• Walking on sand - Stretches and strengthens feet and calves

Flexibility exercises: 

• Heel raises - Raise the heels while keeping toes on the ground
• Toe point - Raise the heels while pointing the toes, keeping just the tips of toes on the ground
• Toe curl - Raise the heels while curling the toes inwards, keeping just the tips of toes on the ground
• Big toe stretch - Use your hands to gently stretch your big toes up, down, and to the side

Exercises for foot pain: 

• Toe extension - Gently pull the toes up towards the ankle and hold for several seconds
• Ball roll - gently roll a golf or tennis ball underneath the arches of the feet 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office located in Scarborough, ON . 

Biomechanics is the study of structure, function, and motion in a biological system, such as the feet. One area of biomechanics that chiropodists can help with is your gait or walking pattern. Many people are unaware of individual differences in how their feet move when they walk or run. By knowing more about your own unique gait, you may be better able to find foot care practices, shoes, and orthotics that suit the needs of your feet. Generally speaking, a person’s gait is often classified based on the foot’s motion while walking or running. An over pronated gait, common in people with flat feet, refers to a walking pattern where the feet roll too far outwards. An under pronated gait refers to a walking pattern where the feet roll too far inwards. A neutral gait refers to a normal walking pattern. To learn more about foot biomechanics, please consult with a chiropodist. 

The biomechanics of your feet play an important role in your foot health. To learn more, please consult with Cynthia Chan, B.Sc., D.Ch from Healthy Advantage Foot & Orthotic Clinic. Our practitioner can help you maintain the health of your lower limbs and your mobility. 

Foot biomechanics refers to the study of the structure, function, and motion of the feet. The feet and ankles are a complex system consisting of many bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons that work together to move your feet. Understanding the unique biomechanics of your own feet can help you and your chiropodist make informed decisions about your foot health care. This includes decisions about the best preventive measures to avoid foot pain, the best treatment options for various foot problems, and finding the best shoes for your feet. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office located in Scarborough, ON . 

Dry, cracked heels are not only annoying to look at, but they can also be very uncomfortable or even painful. In some cases, cracks can be so deep that they bleed and are at risk of becoming infected, especially if you have diabetes or are immunocompromised. Cracked heels, also known as heel fissures, can be caused by various factors. These include lifestyle factors, such as prolonged standing, wearing unsupportive or open-back shoes, not moisturizing the feet, and taking excessively hot showers, and environmental factors, such as living in a cold and dry climate. Underlying medical conditions can also cause dry skin and heel fissures. These include eczema, psoriasis, palmoplantar keratoderma, and juvenile plantar dermatosis. If you suffer from dry, cracked heels, it is suggested that you seek the care of a chiropodist. 

Dry, cracked heels are more than a cosmetic inconvenience. For many people, they are uncomfortable, deep, painful, and may even bleed. If you suffer from cracked heels, please consult with Cynthia Chan, B.Sc., D.Ch from Healthy Advantage Foot & Orthotic Clinic. Our practitioner can help you maintain the health of your lower limbs and your mobility. 

Causes

• Prolonged standing
• Wearing open-back shoes
• Wearing shoes that don’t cushion the heels
• Living in a cold or dry climate
• Taking long, hot showers
• Not moisturizing the heels
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Palmoplantar keratoderma
• Juvenile plantar dermatosis

Treatments

• Soaking the feet
• Exfoliating with a pumice stone
• Moisturizing the heels
• Wearing closed-back shoes that cushion heels
• Avoiding prolonged standing
• Taking warm, rather than hot, showers
• Treating underlying skin conditions 

While milder cases of cracked heels can be treated at home, some patients present with deep, painful, bleeding heel fissures that are at risk of becoming infected and may require medical care. Additionally, patients with diabetes or any other conditions that affect the immune system should be monitored by a chiropodist. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office located in Scarborough, ON .