Feet are forgotten – till they give trouble

Tu Tangata, Issue 27, 1 December 1985, Unnumbered Page

Feet are forgotten - till they give trouble

by Michael Romanos

Hauora

Bare feet are alright because it’s more healthy. Our tipuna surely knew that, but it appears pakeha experts are only just coming to that conclusion. In this issue’s health look, feet come in for some eyeballing. We may take our feet for a ride sometimes, but we should also give them a break. Working out on a telephone book may seem strange, as suggested in this article. Perhaps the Maori exercise could be feeling for pipi in the sand with your toes.

Throw away those shoes whenever you can barefoot is beautiful and necessary for the sake of healthy and sound feet. Afterall, it is feet first when it comes to walking and playing sport. Feet are the foundation of good walking, running and movement.

Without a sturdy foundation, a structure is basically worthless but most people at all levels, do little or nothing to strengthen our foundation: the feet. We might supplement walking and running with weight-training and other exercises but to devote specific time to our feet. No way.

The crux of the problem is that weak foot muscles are common simply because they are not exercised enough. Walking and normal activity do strengthen the 40-odd foot muscles but not sufficient enough for the competitor.

American podiatrist (tohunga) John Pagliano said the muscles of the leg interact with the muscles within the foot to cause the feet to function. The muscles are the activating units that are attached to the bones by tendons, and to get the foot to move, the muscles have to contract.

If the muscles are weak, they will not move the foot into the position they are supposed to and as a result the foot will “flop” around (instead of being pointed straight ahead) or if the muscles are not in proper balance, one will overpower the other causing overpronation.

Dr Gabriel Vorobiev, the Russian athletics team physician has always advocated strength training for the feet. He says a functionally weak or poorly trained foot is the cause of more than 50 per cent of all injuries in track and field. He said a weak foot hinders development of speed skills and makes it impossible for

people to completely utilise their capabilities.

Wellington podiatrist, Alison Childs said a lot of New Zealanders are not aware that feet can receive proper treatment and how much can really be done by a podiatrist other than cut toenails.

“We can assess how people who have some sort of pain in their foot are walking or running and then we can treat them with such aids as orthotics (special foot supports) which are specially made to suit the individual and their needs to try and balance out the problem,” said Miss Childs.

“In some cases, knee and back problems are caused through a foot problem like incorrect alignment of the heel, toes, forefoot and ankles. Most of the foot problems are aggravated by the shoes people wear narrow pointed shoes, built-up shoes and very high heels are not for every day wear. People should wear proper footwear to accommodate toes comfortably.

“The worse thing a person can do is to ignore pain that reoccurs more than two weeks.” Miss Childs said very few Maori and Polynesian people attend her clinic. “It could be they don’t take advantage of podiatrists but they generally have wider feet than the pakeha which could present problems for obtaining suitable shoes.

“Often the foot gets cramped in a shoe. It is a very natural and recommended thing to give the foot the freedom to function by going barefoot.

“In todays’ society it is difficult not to wear shoes because of concrete pavements and the risk of picking up an infection, but I recommend that people go barefoot more often where appropriate like in their homes, in the country areas

and particularly on beaches. The sand is good for muscle toning and acts as an abrasive.”

Miss Childs said 10 per cent of all Maori people suffer from a congenital foot deformity such as club-foot and pes chavis (high arched foot).

“If these things are not picked up and treated at birth the only suitable treatment in latter years are special soles for shoes, modified shoes and regular treatment for calouses and corns.”

Strong foot muscles mean less vulnerability to injuries and will allow people to walk and run faster and further. A splayed or floppy foot is a wasted motion with every step.

The trouble is foot exercises are pretty boring and the effects of exercising and strengthening are not immediately apparent.

One of the primary reasons feet are weak is the shoes we wear. Generally they are like repressive casts and tend to weaken our feet.

Pagliano says the great African athletes have all strong foot muscles. He said this is because they grew up barefooted and their toes are constantly grabbing the ground which consequently gave them great toe action and developed foot strength and excellent running efficiency.

Barefooted, daily foot exercises (which can be built up gradually) are: 1. Sit with back straight in chair, feet extended, turn feet inwards and hold 3 seconds. Turn feet out (hold 3 seconds). Repeat the two motions 20 times. 2. Pick up marbles with toes. 3. Stand on a thick telephone book and curl toes over book. Keeping fleet flat, raise toes for 3 seconds. 4. Standing on telephone book turn feet inwards. Hold for 10 seconds. 5. Standing on telephone book, place toes together, hold, raise heels and hold. 6. Stand on edge of telephone book with each foot hanging over a side. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

7. Stand on a one-inch book with heels touching floor. Rise on toes and hold. Repeat 10 times. 8. While seated, pull a weighted towel with toes. 9. While seated, grasp towel with toes and bring feet inwards. These exercises serve three major purposes: Ankle flexibility, strengthening the muscles which support the arch and building strength in the forefoot region. But equally important is good walking and running. Point the foot straight ahead and the greatest motion should be carried out by the forefoot. The leg should swing forward on the ball of the foot and the weight carried by the toes.

Everyone convinced of improving foot fatigue and other benefits should try the exercises mentioned. For sure, you will be better off in the long-run.