The Foot: Work that toe! Work it!

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SPECIAL FITNESS ISSUE: THE FOOT

Work that toe! Work it!

Yes, feet need exercise to stay strong and flexible. Stretching

classes and tools help.

By Janet Cromley, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-

workout1jan01,1,4623417.story?coll=la-headlines-health

They may never pull a locomotive with their toes, but a few intrepid

fitness pioneers are diligently exercising their feet with the

dedication of true believers.

And they may be on to something. Many podiatrists believe that

putting feet through a simple exercise regimen designed to build up

foot strength and flexibility can save some folks a world of hurt.

" A lot of injuries we see can be prevented if you have stronger

feet, " says Dr. Noreen Oswell, chief of podiatric surgery at Cedars-

Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. And though podiatrists have

many recommendations for preventing injuries (such as wearing proper

shoes), only one thing, they say, will directly strengthen the feet —

and that's exercise.

Regularly exercising your southernmost appendages can strengthen

muscles of the foot and ankle, warding off tendonitis, plantar

fasciitis and good old-fashioned foot pain, says Dr. Richie,

a podiatrist in Seal Beach and past president of the American

Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine.

A toned, strengthened foot, furthermore, can reduce the occurrence

of " sore, aching feet, " which are often the result of muscle

fatigue.

Regular exercise can also improve flexibility, thus boosting

mobility.

Most people who seek out foot exercises — generally athletes and

folks who are on their feet a lot — do so with physical therapists

or trainers. But an elite few go a different route: foot fitness

classes, in which students assemble for regular muscle-strengthening

workouts.

Finding these classes takes a little legwork. " It's not like you can

open up a catalog to a college and say, 'Oh, foot aerobics!' " says

Carolyn Sery, a sales rep and dedicated foot exerciser.

Sery has been taking foot fitness classes off and on for almost

three years, ever since painful bunions made standing on the job

increasingly difficult. She was introduced to the concept by

exercise instructor Shuriu Lo, who was training her in Pilates at

the time.

On a recent Friday morning, we paid a visit to Lo's new studio at

2020 Fitness in Long Beach, to learn what goes on at a foot fitness

class.

Lo and three students sat in a circle on stools at the homey mom-and-

pop Pilates and Gyrotonics studio and commenced their weekly 30-

minute foot exercise routine without any ceremony or small talk.

They knew the exercises by heart, and moved into and out of them

with the precision of a well-trained drill team.

They scrunched their toes like little inchworms, scooting the foot

forward and back.

They raised their toes, then lowered them one at a time, starting

with the littlest.

They interlaced their fingers in their toes, rotated each foot and

walked over small rubber domes known as wakers.

Then, toward the end, the students repeated some of the exercises

while standing on a " hypergravity platform " — a vibrating exercise

device that provided a little shake-n-bake foot buzz.

Thirty minutes a week may not sound like much, but Sery credits it

with helping her stay longer on her feet — and with less pain —

during her job servicing accounts at greeting card stores. She also

believes it has helped her avoid surgery.

" Standing for long periods is tiring and painful unless I do my foot

class exercises, " she says.

To supplement the benefits of the class, she has her own personal

pair of toe stretchers that she wears when she can: soft, pliable

devices worn on the feet that fan the toes outward, forcing a little

extra space between them.

Although there isn't empirical evidence proving their efficacy, some

physical therapists and their clients believe the stretchers improve

flexibility and reduce pain.

Foot fitness isn't exactly a booming business, but a number of

physical therapists and trainers do incorporate the principles into

their practice.

For example, Marie-José Blom-Lawrence, director of Long Beach Dance

Conditioning and Angel City Body Kinetics, and an instructor of

anatomy and physiology at Loyola mount University's department

of dance, is a big proponent of foot exercises — instructing

trainers in foot fitness and lecturing on the topic at workshops.

She believes that certain orthopedic problems, such as back pain,

can often be traced to the feet. " The feet are carrying and

organizing your body, " she says.

She thinks it's a shame that when most of us formulate a fitness

plan, feet are the last thing we consider.

" When we think of the feet, it's related to fashion and not health, "

she says.

" People work out, and go and have pedicures, and it's all for the

outside. They're not paying attention to the structure of the foot. "

Kim Finklestein, a physical therapist at Postureworks in Santa

, also includes foot therapy and foot fitness instruction as

part of her practice. She even has a " toe mobilization " program,

designed to restore flexibility of the toes.

The system includes " tractioning " each toe, which involves pulling

the toe, twisting it gently clockwise and counterclockwise,

then " scissoring " the toes — pushing one toe up, while pushing the

toe next to it down.

Ruth of Century City says the toe mobilization system

worked well for her problem: a crooked second toe. Finklestein, she

says, was able to straighten that toe over the course of a month of

triweekly toe-stretching treatments.

Finklestein encourages clients contemplating surgery for bunions or

hammer toes to consider exercising first. She also endorses weekly

wearing of toe stretchers to stave off injury.

" Toe stretching improves jumping, flexibility, mobility, strength

and balance, which translates into more efficient movement, " she

says.

She even goes so far as to say that exercise can alter the form of

the foot — which is not as far-fetched as it sounds, according to

Richie.

It's not an everyday occurrence, but he says he's seen

people " literally raise the arch with persistent exercise. "

The beauty of foot fitness, Lo says, is that the exercises are

simple and can be done at home. The tools are even simpler —

primarily tennis balls and rubber domes to roll the feet over.

Sery has found that embarking on a foot fitness regimen has some

unexpected perks: It's great fodder for cocktail party conversation

or an ice breaker when talking to clients.

" I tell them about my foot class, and I have them all in stitches, "

she says. " When I tell people I've got Japanese toe stretchers, they

tend to picture me hanging upside down. "

And there are other, less tangible benefits, says Holloway, who

also attends Lo's class.

" Feet are truly a metaphor for how you move through life, " says

Holloway, a licensed acupuncturist and health education

specialist. " If your feet are hurting, you're not going to want to

walk on them — and move forward with your goals, with your life. "

Strength builders

Want to put your feet through a workout? The following exercises are

relatively simple and can be done at home. They're only a few of the

many exercises recommended by foot experts, however. To expand your

repertoire and ensure you're doing the exercises properly, you may

wish to attend a foot fitness class or consult with a foot

specialist.

• The towel curl. This is one of the safest exercises, says Seal

Beach podiatrist Dr. Richie. While sitting with feet flat on

the floor, try to grip a small towel by curling the toes over the

towel. Even if you are not able to actually grip the towel, the

attempt is still good exercise. To exercise the individual toes, try

this with marbles or tissues. This exercise strengthens toes and

arches.

• The calf raise. In a standing position, raise and lower the heels

off the floor while rolling up onto the balls of the feet. Do this

while bending the toes into the floor as if standing on tiptoe. A

more ambitious variation of the drill is to do it one foot at a

time. This exercise strengthens the arch, toes and Achilles tendon.

Do not do this if you have a strained arch, as you could strain the

arch further.

• The tennis ball roll. While seated or standing, roll the foot

gently over a small ball, such as a tennis ball. This is good for

maintaining the arch.

• The toe massage. While sitting with one foot on the opposite

knee, massage the ball of the foot, in between each metatarsal.

Repeat with the other foot.