Exercises

In order to prevent or treat feet abnormalities, apart from using correct footwear, one needs also to provide the child with an appropriate set of exercises that will help strengthen muscles and correct improper position of feet.

Strengthening exercises for abdominal muscles

  • SP: Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet flat on floor.
    M: Lift your legs off floor (knees bent), put your hands on your knees and try to “wrestle” with your knees. Tighten the abdominal muscles and keep your lower back on the floor. Remember to keep your lower back on the floor, if necessary put the sash under the lower back. If the lower back adheres properly to floor, it is not possible to pull out the sash.

  • SP: Lie on your back, with knees bent, keep the ball between your feet. The ball should be slightly inflated with air, your lower back should adhere to floor. M: Lift your legs to 90 o, then slowly move them down to 70-80 o and return to the initial position. Simplified version: lift your legs to 90 o and keep few seconds in this position. Remember to keep your lower back on the floor! Then, return to initial position.

  • SP: Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet flat on floor.
    M: Lift your legs off the floor to 90 o, move them to the right (10-30 cm from the body) and keep for 5-10 seconds. Then move your legs to the left side. Remember to keep your lower back on the floor!
    Notes: Range of motion, time and number of repetitions (sets) depend on the strength of the abdominal muscles and should be selected individually.

Stretching the sciatic-tibial muscle.

  • SP: Sit with your legs straight in front of you.
    M: Wrap the centre of a band around the balls of your foot. Hold the ends of the band with your hands, lay down lifting your leg up in the air (keep your knee straight) to 80º-90º.

  • SP: Sit with your legs straight in front of you.
    M: Wrap the centre of a band around the balls of your feet. Hold the ends of the band with your hands, lay down lifting your legs up in the air (keep your knee straight) to 80-90 o. Hold for 5-10 seconds.
    Notes: Range of motion depends on the length of the sciatic-tibial muscles. Do not lift the pelvis up off the floor.

  • SP: Stand astride.
    M: Bend forward – keep your legs straight and try to touch your fingers to the floor. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Notes: Your legs and arms should be perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other. If you can’t touch your fingers to the floor, bend forward as much as you can and hold for 5-10 seconds.

  • SP: Stand with your feet hip width apart, hands up.
    M: Bend forward as much as possible trying to put your left hand on the right ankle. Hold for 5 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. Remember to keep your legs straight.

  • SP: Stand facing the gymnastic ladder.
    M: Put one foot on the ladder rung at the height of your hips. Bend forward and hold for 5-10 second. Switch the leg and repeat.
    Notes: Your legs should be perpendicular to the ladder.

Strengthening exercises of gluteus muscles.

  • SP: Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet flat on floor. Place the ball (max diameter 10 cm) between your knees.
    M: Lift your hips up off the floor. Tighten the gluteus muscles – the ball cannot be dropped! Hold for 5-10 seconds.
    Notes: Take in-breath through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth.

  • SP: Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet flat on floor. Place the ball (max diameter 10 cm) between your knees.
    M: Lift hips up off the floor. Tighten the gluteus muscles– the ball cannot be dropped! Then straighten your right leg and hold for 10 seconds. Switch leg and repeat.
    Notes: Take in-breath through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth.

  • SP: Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet on the ball.
    M: Press your feet down into the ball and lift your hips – hold for 10 seconds.
    Notes: Tighten the gluteus muscles together. Take in-breath through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth.

  • SP: Lie facedown on an inflated exercise ball with both feet on the floor, elbows bent.
    M: Lift your legs up in the air . Tighten buttocks and abdomen, hold for 5-10 seconds. Take in-breath through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth.
    Note: Remember to control the lumbar lordosis – avoid back hyperextension.

Stretching the calf muscles.

  • SP: Sit with your legs straight in front of you.
    M: Wrap the centre of a band around the balls of your feet. Hold the ends of the band with your hands, hold for 10 seconds. Then pull the bands to bend your feet back towards your body and hold for 10 seconds.

  • SP: Stand on the first or second rung of a gymnastic ladder and hold the rung at height of your shoulder.
    M: Rise up on your toes. Hold for 10 seconds. Then lower your heels below the level of the step as far as your flexibility allows and hold for 10 seconds.
    Notes: Trunk and pelvis should be straight and close to the ladder.

  • SP: Stand facing the wall or gymnastic ladder. Place your hands on the wall in front of you and lean against it. Take one step forward with your left foot. Bend your left knee slowly. Keep your right knee (back leg) straight, try to push right heel into floor – you will feel the stretch of the calf. Hold still for 10 seconds. Switch legs and repeat.
    Notes: Your feet and hips should be pointed directly towards the wall.

Stretching exercises for plantar aponeurosis

  • M: Walk sideways on the stick, toes upraised.

  • SP: Stand straight.
    M: Put a roll on the floor. Roll the bar with your feet.

  • SP: Stand straight.
    M: Put the right foot on the higher rung of the ladder. Then, change the leg. Your feet should be turned outward.

Learning the proper foot loading

  • SP: Sit on the ball.
    M: Learn how to feel three-point support of your feet. Put the small sheets of paper under 1st and 5th metatarsal head and under the heel (outside part). Try to keep all three sheets while the other person is trying to pull them out.
    Note: An important element of the exercise is to keep your knee over the foot.

  • Learning about the forefoot eversion and pressuring the first metatarsal head, the heel is in the inversion. The aim of the exercise is to learn forefoot eversion, how to press the first metatarsal head and keep the foot in inversion.
    SP: Sit on the floor in butterfly position with your feet turned up (eversion). Place the balloon between your feet.
    M: By eversion of the forefeet, squeeze the balloon.

Strengthening exercises for dorsal flexor muscles of feet

  • SP: Children are sitting opposite each other, legs straight, hands and arms backward, the feet are tied by tape.
    M: Dorsiflexion of the foot. Hold for 5-10 seconds.

Exercises for keeping the balance

  • M: Walk on the sensory discs – try to keep the balance.

  • SP: Stand straight.
    M: Lifts one leg up and keep the balance as long as possible.
    Notes: While standing, the ankle joints, knee and shoulder should be set according to the sagittal axis of your body.

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