Healthy Feet 2.0
Are you putting your best foot forward? For the first instalment of our Healthy Feet blog, click here. If you are ready for your second step, lace up!
While front foot is all about absorbing force, once we’ve landed, the ground reaction force is absorbed and our other leg begins to swing over as we take our step and some funky changes start to happen. Our foot goes from this flexible adapter to a rigid force producer.
This is something critical to walking on two legs. It enhances our ability to take all that force that is stored when muscles and tendons lengthen, and efficiently send it up the chain for a powerful push off. It allows us to walk and run, and do it well. Our ability to walk and run for distance is what makes us human!
If we cannot get into position to take advantage of this genius design of the foot, we can lose out on our ability to walk or run as efficiently, and that means less speed, less endurance and could predispose us to injury.
The Second Step:
The back foot movements are a little more like our ‘traditional’ calf stretch, however done in a way to accentuate what our back leg does, authentically, as we walk and run. All you need is a wall, a towel, and maybe a chair!
Follow the videos below as we discuss these movements in more detail.
1. Regular back leg calf stretch.
2. Back leg calf stretch. Towel under inside of heel. Drive forward.
3. Back leg calf stretch. Towel under inside of heel. Second towel under outside of front foot. Drive forward.
Again, these are very generalised strategies. If you feel like your feet and ankles are having a hard time with getting back into walking and jogging, please feel free to contact us at the clinic on (03) 5244 0063 and organise a personalised consultation.
The team at Be Well Health Group