According to FootHealthFacts.org, "fallen arches" is a term that describes a flatfoot condition that develops in adulthood, and it should not be confused with other flatfoot conditions which first appear during childhood or teenage years. Fallen arches occur when your principal arch-supporting tendon--your posterior tibial tendon--becomes weak or experiences injury during trauma. Consider performing foot exercises to strengthen your foot muscles, minimize foot changes and secondary symptoms, and restore your arches.
Short Foot Exercise
According to Dr. Alan Zarembski, a Sacramento, California-based chiropractor, the "short foot" exercise is used to help restore your normal foot alignment and increase your proprioceptive outflow. Dr. Zarembski believes that excessive foot pronation is a common foot problem, and can cause problems in your body's kinetic chain, from your ankle to your spine, which can lead to pain and discomfort. The short foot exercise is intended to address excessive pronation and promote restoration of your fallen arches.
Perform the short foot exercise by first shifting your weight slightly to the outside edge of your feet while standing. Keeping your toes straight and well-spaced, increase the amount of space under your foot's principal arch--the medial longitudinal arch, which is found on the inside edge of your foot--by tightening the muscles on the bottom of your foot. If you're performing this exercise properly, the ball of your foot should move slightly toward your heel. Dr. Zarembski suggests imagining yourself grabbing sand between your heel and ball of your foot, and feel the muscles on the bottom of your foot being drawn upward.
Achilles Tendon Stretch
According to Dr. Ray McClanahan, a Portland, Oregon-based sports podiatrist, one possible cause of fallen arches may be a tight achilles tendon and calf muscle. Dr. McClanahan recommends you perform stretching exercises to improve your flexibility in the back of your lower leg. To stretch your achilles tendon and calf muscles, perform the achilles tendon stretch exercise. Stand up straight and place your hands against a wall at about shoulder height. Place your left leg behind you. While keeping your left leg straight, with your heel flat on the floor and your left foot pointed straight ahead, slowly lean forward by bending your right leg. You should feel a gentle stretch in the middle of your left calf muscle. Hold this stretch for 10 to 15 seconds before switching and stretching your right calf muscle and achilles tendon. Repeat this stretch a total of six to eight times on each side, alternating sides as you go. Perform the achilles tendon stretch two to three times a week.
Big Toe Re-Approximation Exercise
Another exercise recommended by Dr. McClanahan to help restore your fallen arches and prevent excessive pronation is the big toe re-approximation exercise. According to McClanahan, wearing conventional footwear--footwear with tapered toe-boxes, toe-spring and heel elevation--contributes to many foot problems and results in the deformity of your feet, especially your big toe, which may be deviating toward your foot's midline instead of lining up with the inside of your foot, as nature intended. Such a deformity, known as hallux valgus or bunion deformity, is rarely seen in unshod populations in Latin and South America, Africa and Asia. By re-approximating your big toe to its true anatomical position, you'll stabilize your medial longitudinal arch and create a base of support that keeps you from from pronating excessively.
Perform the big toe re-approximation exercise by placing your thumb on the outside portion of your big toe, at the point where your big toe meets the ball of your foot. Use your index finger of the same hand to gently move your big toe sideways away from your other toes. Apply light pressure on the inside portion of your big toe, at the tip, to stretch your toe. Hold your stretch for 10 seconds before moving your thumb to the outside portion of your big toe, at the next and only joint up, and repeat your stretch for an additional 10 seconds. Switch feet and stretch your other big toe in the same way. Perform five sets of your big toe re-approximation exercise on both sides, at least three times per day.
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