I decided to book a podiatry session for a bit of foot pampering. I was living in the Cyprus heat at the time – naturally you see a lot of exposed feet and often it’s not a pretty sight. Two days ago I’d glanced down and was shocked to see my own feet looking like a couple of old potatoes, streaked dirty brown and studded with ingrained grit.
As I told the podiatrist that I was a runner, I realised that it was the first time I’d ever actually said that to anyone.
‘Well then, it’s really important to look after your feet,’ she said.
Was I being scolded?
‘Do you stretch?’ she asked.
‘… what, like warm up stretches before the run?’
‘Yes, those but it’s also a good idea to stretch your feet. Let me show you a few you can do at home.’
She placed a small towel on the floor. ‘Put one foot on there and use your toes to scrunch up the towel.’
‘What does this do?’ I asked.
‘It helps to strengthen the small muscles in the feet.’
She went on to explain that there are 3 common runner’s injuries and she believed the risk of succumbing to them could be lessened with regular foot stretching. There was plantar fasciitis when pain occurs along the band of tissue which connects the heel to the toes. Next up was shin splints which I’d heard mention of in running forums and from what people were saying it was pretty painful. It happens when the tissue around the bone linking the knee to the ankle becomes inflamed. Finally she mentioned inflammation at the back of the heel – achilles tendinitis.
I’d suffered from plantar fasciitis years ago and knew how painful and long lasting it could be.
The printer fired up and delivered a couple of pages of foot exercises into the tray. I would do them. I would.
And I did. Though in all honesty I had a few favourites and it was actually those that got done. I liked the towel scrunching one and regularly did one which the podiatrist was keen on to promote overall foot stability, especially on uneven ground and there was lots of that where I usually ran. It involved standing on a thick cushion with feet together and arms by my side. Once I was balanced I had to lift one foot off the cushion. Whenever I did it I could actually feel the little muscles in my other foot working away to maintain my balance. It felt useful.
The other one I liked was a seated exercise and I got into the habit of doing it in front of my computer. I crossed one leg over the other at the knee and used one hand to hold my ankle and the other to hold my toes. Then I’d gently pull my toes in the direction of my shin until I felt the stretch under my foot. It ended up as a bit of a mini foot massage, was easy to do while I was getting on with computer stuff and just felt really good.
The podiatrist was quite keen too on ‘toe spelling’ – drawing imaginary words on the floor with your toes – and also in rolling something like a tennis ball using the base of your foot. Apparently it can help loosen up your plantar fascia, making it much less likely to become irritated. I liked that one too – another one I could do mindlessly!
