Step off to smarter foot care

People who exercise put a pounding on their feet every day. Take care of your feet by wearing proper shoes and performing a few preventative exercises that might help your feet carry you that extra distance.

Nature likes curves and the foot is no exception, according to Dr. Craig Eymann. Three arches are formed by the 26 bones of each foot. In your foot, arches additionally absorb shock and add spring to your step. When these arches fall, your feet start to wobble and your skeletal foundation becomes shaky.

One quarter of all bones of the human body are in the feet. Typically, over-stretching of your foot ligaments, the structures that hold bones snugly together, can loosen the arches. Ankle sprains, hyper-pronation and poor muscle control can cause arches to collapse.

Altered walking patterns like limping or walking with turned-out feet are contributing factors to fallen arches.

Walking constantly on cement surfaces without foot support adds to the strain. Running shoes lose their supportiveness in three to six months, depending on usage, and running in them beyond that period of time can harm your feet. Moreover, fashionable women's shoes, stilettos, and tight shoes cause an array of foot maladies.

The first clue that you might have an uneven use pattern can be found by examining your shoes. Look at the wear on the outside edges of the heels. Pronation and supination are normal patterns of how we walk. Pronation is the normal motion of the arch rolling inward to meet the ground surface. Supination is the rolling of your foot to its outside edge as you push your foot off.

Excessive rolling, one way or the other, can cause foot problems and undermine the integrity of foot muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints.

Athletes rely on the best available equipment to help them excel at their sport. Any misalignments in the feet and ankles could slow them down.

An ineffective transfer of energy could cost them milliseconds of propulsion with each step. Multiply that times the distance you compete and you have lost seconds to minutes of valuable time.

If you are feeling fatigue in your feet, try a couple of these easy exercises. First, roll a golf ball under your foot to release areas of tension and soreness. Second, lay a towel on a smoothly surfaced floor. While sitting in a chair, use your toes to pull the towel toward you. Third, practice picking up marbles using your toes. After you can easily pick up one marble at a time, try to "grab" four to five with your foot and hold for 10-15 seconds.

These exercises help to break up trigger points, increase circulation, stretch the plantar muscles and activate the tibialis muscles that help maintain your arch. If in doubt, have your feet checked by a physician. Knee, hip and lower back pain can start with a problem in the feet.

If you exercise on a daily basis, have two or three pairs of shoes that you alternate between. Pay attention to any unusual foot problems like blisters, calluses or even foot odor as these symptoms can be a sign that you are wearing the wrong size/type of shoe.