Most of us don’t think about our feet and ankles until they hurt. But they are foundational to good alignment, balance and the overall functioning of your lower body. Building strength and mobility in your feet and ankles can also help you recover more quickly from injuries and prevent future discomfort, said Jay Hertel, chair of the department of kinesiology at the University of Virginia.
Improving foot and ankle health can support all kinds of activities, said Irene Davis, a professor of physical therapy at the University of South Florida, and past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. “The foot is the first part of the body that comes into contact with the ground,” she said, so it’s very important for it to be stable and resilient while you walk, run and jump.
Dr. Hertel considers walking speed to be a vital sign in aging patients. “Anything that can be done to help maintain someone’s comfortable walking speed is going to have health benefits,” he said, and that starts with foot and ankle health.
The sequence below, designed by Dr. Hertel and Dr. Davis, can be beneficial for active people, those with lower-body injuries or pain and anyone else who wants to maintain overall mobility as they age. The exercises are “important for the entire chain, not just the foot or ankle,” Dr. Davis said.
If you can, perform the exercises barefoot to help activate more of the muscles in your feet and ankles. “The more time you spend barefoot or in shoes that don’t support your feet, the stronger your feet will get,” Dr. Davis said. “It’s counterintuitive to some people, but if you have strong feet, that’s really going to help your ankles.”
Overview
Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Intensity: Low to medium
What You’ll Need
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A mat
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A long resistance band
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A towel
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A low place to anchor the band (the leg of a sofa, or a very heavy weight on the floor)
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A chair, stool or table
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A step
Resisted dorsiflexion
Repetitions: Two to three sets of eight to 12 reps
Purpose: Strengthens the muscles that help bend your ankle to pull your toes toward your shins, which is helpful for walking and squatting
Anchor a long resistance band to something heavy and sturdy near the floor, like a very heavy dumbbell or kettlebell, or the leg of a sofa. Sit on the floor with a rolled towel under your calf to slightly elevate your heel, with the bottom of your foot facing the anchor point of the band. Loop the end of the band around the top of your foot, and scoot back until there’s slight tension on the band. Pull your toes and the top of your foot toward you, stretching the band, and slowly return to the start position.
Resisted inversion
Repetitions: Two to three sets of eight to 12 reps
Purpose: Strengthens the muscles that help stabilize the ankle
With the band still anchored to your heavy object and your calf resting on a rolled towel, sit with the outside of your foot facing the anchor point of the band. Loop the end of the band around the ball of your foot, and scoot away until there’s slight tension on the band. Then bend at the ankle to pull the bottom of your foot toward your other leg, stretching the band, and slowly return to the start position. Keep your knee pointing toward the ceiling as you move and focus the movement on your ankle, not your hip or knee.
Resisted eversion
Repetitions: Two to three sets of eight to 12 reps
Purpose: Improves stability, which can help prevent rolled ankles
With your band anchored, re-orient yourself so that the inside of your foot is facing the anchor point of the band. Now bend at the ankle to pull the bottom of your foot outward, stretching the band, and slowly return to the start position. Keep your knee pointing toward the ceiling as you move and focus the movement on your ankle, not your hip or knee.
Foot doming
Repetitions: Two to three sets of eight to 12 reps
Purpose: Strengthens the muscles along the arch of the foot, so it can absorb force more easily and help the rest of the lower body maintain alignment and stability
Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Press your toes and the ball of your foot down into the floor. Then try to slide the ball of your foot toward your heel as you try to lift the arch of your foot higher off the floor. Keep the ball of your foot on the floor. Your toes may scrunch when you first try this exercise. Over time, try to practice lifting your arch while keeping your toes long. Hold for about 5 seconds, then relax and repeat.
Once you’re comfortable with the movement, you can try it while standing, then progress to standing on one foot with a chair or table nearby for balance support. (Take this progression very slowly if you have plantar fasciitis.)
Calf raises
Repetitions: Two to three sets of eight to 12 reps
Purpose: Improves the ankles’ range of motion for plantarflexion (moving the toes away from the shins) and builds ankle stability and power
Stand on the floor with your feet about hip-width apart. Have a chair or table nearby, in case you need it for balance. Lift your heels, then lower with control.
To make this more difficult, stand on one foot and lift your heel, then lower with control. To progress from there, stand with your toes on a step or box, and with your heel below the surface of the step. Then lift your heel and lower it to the start position with control. (If you have Achilles’ tendinopathy, keep this exercise on the floor — the larger range of motion with the step or box can lead to irritation.)
Single-leg balance
Repetitions: Three to four reps of 10 to 60 seconds each
Purpose: Improves ankle stability for fall prevention and overall balance and control
Stand tall on a hard floor with a sturdy chair, table or stool within reach. Begin standing on one foot and hold for up to a minute, then rest. If a minute feels out of reach, work your way up over time. Place your hand on the sturdy surface if you need it for balance.
Once you can do this two to three times for a minute each, there are a few ways to make it more challenging. Try it with your eyes closed, then standing on a soft surface (like a pillow or folded towel or blanket) with your eyes open, then on the same soft surface with eyes closed.
W lunge
Repetitions: Up to 30 reps in each of the three directions, on each foot
Purpose: Improve ankle range of motion
Stand tall, in a staggered stance, with your right foot forward and your left foot back. Face forward and stand with your left leg straight and your right leg slightly bent. Bend your right knee more deeply and move it as far forward as you can while keeping your right heel down, tracking your knee over your middle toes. Return to the start position, then press your right knee forward, tracking it over your left pinkie toe. Back to start, then press your knee forward, tracking it over your big toe. Repeat. It’s OK if your knee goes past your toes, unless it causes pain. Only go as deep into the position as you can comfortably.
Balance and reach
Repetitions: Two to three sets of eight to 12 reps
Purpose: Improves balance and coordination
Stand tall on a hard floor. Begin to balance on your right foot, with your right knee slightly bent. Bend your right knee slightly more as you reach your left heel straight forward, then return to the start position. That’s one rep. Then reach your left heel forward to a 45-degree angle, then return. That’s your second rep. Now reach your left foot straight out to the side, then back. Repeat. Make sure to focus on balancing through your bottom ankle.
You can also add more directions for reaches, like behind you to a 45-degree angle, straight behind you, and in a “curtsy” — back and to the side.
Hops
Repetitions: Two to three sets of eight to 12 reps
Purpose: Trains stability, coordination and balance; helps your feet and ankles more comfortably absorb force
Stand tall, with your feet about hip-width apart. Hop up and down, landing lightly on the balls of your feet.
To make this harder, hop up and down on one foot. To progress from there, hop side to side on both feet, then from side to side on one foot.
If you aren’t comfortable jumping, you can bounce up and down on your toes, allowing your heels to lift and lower quickly. You can also skip this exercise.
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