Exercise therapy refers to a type of conservative therapy. Developed flat feet cannot be cured. But you can prevent the lack of motor activity in the lower legs.
This will prevent possible complications. Parents help children to do gymnastics for legs, after consulting an orthopedist. Adults solve foot problems on their own at home, or under the supervision of a trainer who is familiar with exercise therapy methods.
The effectiveness of exercise therapy for flat feet
The result of exercise therapy will depend on the systematicity, diligence, attention and correctness of the exercises, their sequence.
Enhance efficiency:
- correct gait with a set posture;
- calcium and vitamin D intake;
- weight loss;
- setting feet taking into account the disease;
- the complexity of the approach: the use of massage, the use of orthopedic shoes.
More often exercise therapy for the feet is prescribed when flat feet have the first degree of transverse appearance. If you choose an integrated approach as a treatment, a complete cure is possible in this case. The use of therapeutic exercises in the subsequent stages of flat feet is symptomatic.
Exercise reduces foot fatigue and pain is reduced. The appearance of complications is prevented by an improvement in blood supply not only in the feet, but also in the lower extremities in general. The effectiveness of exercise therapy for flat feet has been proven in the use of postoperative rehabilitation.
Due to the fact that the recovery period implies a decrease in movement, training is developed with limited loads that gradually increase. A positive result is seen after a couple of years with the condition of constant performance of a set of exercises together with self-massage and wearing special shoes.
Exercise therapy for feet with flat feet
Experts have developed several sets of foot exercises. They provide excellent results. Systematic and correct implementation is required. Doing exercise therapy is quite simple. Workouts include standing, lying, sitting on a chair, and on a rug in a ventilated room.
Standing exercises
This type involves first warming up the muscles with a warm-up.
Then the following exercises are carried out:
- Support with hands on the wall, slow rise on the toes. Gradual return to starting position.
- Stance on the outer lateral parts of the feet for 25 - 30 seconds.
- Slow rotation of the body in different directions while supporting the leg.
- Do up to 20 squats without raising your heels.
- Lean forward as much as possible. Perform on toes.
- Walk for 20 - 30 seconds on the inner lateral parts of the feet.
- Change of heel-toe position up to 35 times.
- Circular rotation of the lower legs 15 times, which helps to strengthen the ligaments, and also kneads the muscles.
- Lifting small objects off the floor with your toes.
- Various types of walking: on a ribbed board, on an inclined surface, a massage mat.
Gymnastics exercise therapy in a standing position is universal. It can be used in the absence of pain and severe fatigue with flat feet. In some exercises, a wall is used as a support. You can also take small objects to develop the muscles of the foot.
Exercise while sitting on a chair
Chair workouts done while sitting are very effective.
Charging:
- Stretching your socks up and down. The calf muscles should be tense at this moment.
- With a raised leg, draw the surface of the foot along the lower leg of the standing limb.
- Alternating lifting of toes and heels.
- Without bending your knees, try to fully stand on your foot with straight legs. Hold for at least 10 seconds.
- Fix the toes on the floor. The heels need to be joined together and spread.
- Make grip-like movements with your fingers, try to grab several small objects.
- Rolling cubes, balls, sticks, blocks with feet.
- Move the soles of the feet back and forth with the fingers.
Exercise while sitting on the mat
To get rid of the flattening of the metatarsus, as well as to increase the internal bend, exercises are performed in a sitting position. In this case, a rug is used.
Gymnastic exercises exercise therapy:
- The legs are bent. Try to give your fingers a bent position. After - unbend.
- Raising socks to the body and in the opposite direction.
- The limbs are in an elevated position. The feet are brought together to touch the soles.
- The limbs are in a raised position on the knees, the fingers rest on the mat. The heels need to be connected and spread to the side.
- Sit up straight, rest your hands on the floor. Grab the ball with your feet and pick it up.
- Continuing to hold the ball, bend your knees, move the projectile from toes to heels.
To avoid injury, try to perform all movements smoothly. If pain occurs, a break is needed.
Exercises from a lying position
The initial exercise therapy classes are performed lying down. This position allows you to train muscle tissue in a sparing mode, excluding injury. When performing gymnastics exercise therapy on the back, there is no load on the gluteal muscles. Also, the back is relaxed. You need to do it on a special rug.
Exercises:
Phased implementation:
- the right leg is bent and pulled up to the body;
- the sock is pulled to the side to the gluteus muscle, unfolding the foot;
- raise the heel, bend your toes towards the floor;
- turn the foot to the left, touch the supporting limb;
- return to the original position.
Do the same workout for the left leg.
- Bend your knees, with the sole flat on the floor. The toes are fixed, the heels are raised alternately, then together. Repeat up to 30 times.
- Dissolve the bent limbs. Tap your heels together.
- Perform stroking with your feet on the lower leg of the supporting limb. At the end - left-right rotation.
- Maximum squeeze and relaxation of the fingers for a few minutes. Perform until slight tension occurs.
Contraindications for exercise
Exercise therapy for flat feet in some conditions is prohibited.
Namely:
- The presence of serious illnesses.
- Feverish conditions, including viral and bacterial diseases.
- Open wounds of the feet.
- Severe pain syndrome.
- The presence of tumors associated with the appearance of neoplasms.
- Different types of skin diseases.
- Severe cardiac and respiratory failure.
- Thrombophlebitis, venous congestion.
If the described pathologies are eliminated, the use of exercise therapy is allowed. The main thing is to consult a doctor, because some conditions provide for admission to exercise therapy in a facilitated form. That is, the loads should be minimal.
Often flat feet provoke poor posture. When the arch is compacted, the support function of the lower extremities is insufficiently fulfilled.
The pelvis changes position, there are difficulties in walking, pain. The person begins to tire quickly. To alleviate this condition, you need to start exercise therapy in a timely manner.
The training has been going on for several years. And to maintain the achieved result in a reduced amount in the form of prevention - all life. Systematic exercise therapy slows down flattening, and also stops the development of foot deformity.
