Foot Health

Anatomy of the Foot

The foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The arch is located along the inside of the foot and can be high, low, or neutral.  

Everything in your feet works together to support your body weight. The force going through the foot and ankle depends on what activity you’re doing. For example, when you walk, up to four times your body weight goes through your foot. But if you’re running, up to ten times your body weight goes through the foot.

Foot pain or issues with feet are very common. At least 80% of the population are affected. The good news is that problems can often be corrected when you know what’s wrong, treat it, and take care of your feet.

Foot Types

The arch of the foot is what determines the kind of foot type someone has. There are three main types of arch—low, neutral, or high. One type isn’t better than another, they’re just different. 

• A low arch means that the inside arch of the foot is touching or very close to the ground. Feet with low arches are sometimes called  “flat.” 
• A neutral arch means that the inside arch of the foot is slightly raised from the ground while standing. This is the most common foot type.
• A high arch means that the inside arch of the foot is higher than neutral, even when standing. This foot position tends to be more rigid and less adaptable to stresses.

How Can I Find Out My Foot Type?

You can perform a Wet Foot Test to determine your foot type. Step onto a piece of paper or dry concrete with a damp foot, then step off. You may need to do it more than once to get a good outline of the bottom of your foot. A low (flat) arch will show the inside of the foot mostly or all filled in. A neutral (normal) arch will have about half of the arch showing on the paper or ground. A high arch will leave little to no water along the inside of the foot.

Your feet affect how you walk. As your foot strikes the ground, forces travel up the leg to the knee, hip, and low back. If you have an issue with your foot that changes the way it moves, it will also change the way the force travels up the leg. You might also change the way you walk to allow your foot to move in a different way.  For example, if your ankle is tight or injured, you might walk with your leg rotated outwards to allow it to move forward.  

Your feet also affect your balance. All of those joints, muscles, and ligaments we mentioned work as a team to help your brain understand where you are in space. Your body relies on this “foot knowledge” to move in the right ways. If your feet are injured, can’t move as they usually do, or have pain, the messages to your brain aren’t as clear and that can affect your ability to balance. 

Lastly, your feet affect a lot of the movements your body does every day. Think about how many times your ankles bend each day. You might bend down to pick up toys, walk down a flight of stairs, or jog across the street. Even stepping on the gas pedal when driving or putting on socks requires your ankles to move. If your ankles are stiff and can’t bend and flex, your body will try to bend and flex in other places. Other joints (like knees or hips) will try to move instead which can change the way you walk and do day-to-day activities. That overuse can potentially lead to pain.

When choosing shoes, it is important to consider your foot type. If you have a low arch, your feet might feel better with good arch support. That support helps your foot stay in a more neutral position.

You also need to consider the activities you will be doing in the shoes. A shoe with a non-slip sole can help prevent slips and falls. Depending on your job, you may need a steel toe shoe for safety. And you always want to tie your shoes tightly enough that your feet don’t slip out. Laces provide support to the bones in the middle of the foot.

The style of your shoes can affect your feet, too.  The toe box is the area of the shoe that surrounds and protects the toes. A toe box that is too small will crowd your toes. A pointed shoe has a pointed toe box, which can be a contributing factor to bunion pain.

Keep in mind that your ankles are the most stable when the heels of your shoes are two inches or less.

Motion is Lotion

Your body was designed to move. Staying in one position for a long time (like sitting most of the day for a lot of days) can make your body feel stiff. Movement helps your whole body stay strong and healthy—and that includes your ankles and feet. 

Of course, sitting down is not bad. It’s sitting or being in the same position for a long time without moving that can make you feel bad. So whether you sit most of the day or stand, the key is to keep changing positions before any stiffness sets in.

Frequency of Breaks

Everyone is different. Should you change positions every 30 minutes? 45 minutes? 60 minutes? Try it all! See what helps you finish the day feeling your best.

It also doesn’t matter if you sit a lot or stand a lot during the day. Just change your position throughout your day. If you have been sitting, take a few steps around the room; if you have been standing, have a seat. The key is to avoid long periods in static positions.

Movements to Start With

Start with the movements and stretches that feel good. If it hurts, avoid it for now. You can always try again later.

Start where you are—you are unique! An exercise that works for another person might not work for you. Choose exercises that you can do safely and successfully. The most important thing is to get started. You can always change what you do and how hard you work along the way.

Progressive Loading + Recovery = Adaptation

“Progressive Loading” is building strength slowly over time.
“Recovery” is rest in between strength-building sessions.
“Adaptation” is your body changing and growing in strength and ability.

Your body adapts to what you do. Here, “load” means the physical demand placed on your body. If you sit a lot and don’t get much activity, the “load” on your body is low. Over time, your body will adapt to that low load and physical activity will begin to feel difficult.

But, if you walk a little bit each day, your body will get used to it and walking will become easy. If you start walking further, and add time to recover from those long walks, that will start to feel easier over time, too. Recovery is a big part of how your body adapts. Recovery includes things like eating healthy food, drinking water, and getting enough good quality sleep. It’s also important to have “rest” days where you do low intensity activity like a shorter, slower walk or a stretch class. 

Teaching your feet to adapt to movement applies to weight training, too. You can begin by just using body weight movements. Over time, your body will become used to these exercises and it will start to feel easier. That’s when you want to add in some extra weight or resistance. You can use exercise bands, hold dumbbells or barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, machines, and other equipment. The key is to add a little bit over time, keep including time to recover, and do both consistently.

Remember, your feet are made to move. They—like the rest of your body—are designed to get strong. They can also recover from injury with the right approach.

“I will only feel plantar fascia pain in my heel.”

While the plantar fascia attaches to the “heel bone” (called the calcaneus), it runs across the bottom of the foot and attaches close to the toes. Plantar fascia pain can be felt across the bottom of the foot, as well as the heel.

“All big toe pain is gout.”

There are many different causes of pain in your big toe. A few of these include arthritis (hallux rigidus), turf toe ( joint injury), and gout.

“All problems with my feet will be felt in my feet.”

What we do with our feet can be felt throughout our legs, hips, and back. Foot problems can lead to pain in other parts of the body. So if you have a problem with your feet, chances are you’ll feel it in other places, too.

“Pronation is bad.”

Pronation happens when the arch flattens and the ankle moves inwards. Pronation is not inherently bad. It is a normal type of movement for the foot. However, repeated over-pronation can cause problems.

“Flat feet are the worst type of foot and will cause pain.”

There is not one foot type that is superior to others. All foot types have their own individual needs.

“I always need to wear my shoes and orthotics.”

Shoes and orthotics provide support and protection. They’re helpful when you’re really busy for a long time. But they can also restrict movement of your feet. That’s why it’s important to give your feet breaks and let them move freely. 

Strengthening 

It’s important to strengthen the muscles around the arch of the foot and muscles that raise and lower the toes. Those are the muscles that keep your feet and ankles stable. This exercise might be a little tricky at first, but it just takes some practice.

The smaller muscles within the foot are key for foot and ankle stability, as well as preventing injury. This exercise helps get those small muscles working.

All of the muscles around the ankles and feet need to be strong. Doing single leg balance exercises can help strengthen these muscles as well as your hip muscles. These muscles will get tired as you work, so don’t worry if you notice your ankle making small movements or adjustments the longer you stand.

Stretching

Your calves are the largest muscles in your lower legs. They attach to your feet and can get tight or stiff when you’re standing, walking, or moving around a lot. They can also get tight from sitting for a long time. Stretching your calves while straightening and bending your knees can help.

One of the key parts of your foot is called the plantar fascia. This thick band of connective tissue helps support your arch when you stand, walk, and exercise. It’s common for this area to feel tight after a lot of activity or even the next morning when first getting out of bed. Try these simple stretches to release tension in your plantar fascia.

Your Crossover care team is here to help. Start a conversation with your Crossover doctor or Physical Therapist about any muscle, bone or joint pains that you may have. They can help you recover from injury with safe movement, work on improving your posture, understand what in your work or home environment could be causing your pain, prevent it from coming back, and check in on your progress to feeling better.