Stretching for the arches of the feet

[Sandwarrior]

I have been suffering from cramps and other muscular pain in the bottom of my feet. This started after a week off from riding. The pain originates just behind the balls and to the outside of my feet. Are there any good stretches I can do to alleviate the pain?

[aikigreg]

If you have pain in your balls why do your feet hurt? :)

You may have some tight fascia. Get a golfball and roll it around with your foot for ten minutes an hour every night for a few days and see what happens. You may just need some good orthotics.

[mateo44]

Calf stretches, especially if it's plantar fasciitis. While sitting down with your knee straight, hook a towel around your foot and gently pull it towards you. Like this:

http://www.plantarfasciitisbraces.com/plantar_fasciitis_stretching_exercises.html

[Sandwarrior]

Thank you for the URL. I will give it a shot when I get home. The stretch with the frozen juice can looks really inviting.

[Sandwarrior]

If you have pain in your balls why do your feet hurt? :)




You funny GI, you numba 10.

On a serious note, I'll try the golfball thing at work. Thanks

[kuan]

There's also a spiky ball which works pretty well.

[mateo44]

Thank you for the URL. I will give it a shot when I get home. The stretch with the frozen juice can looks really inviting.

Yeah, and if you defrost it once you're done, mix it with vodka and drink it, your feet will feel even better! :p

[DannoXYZ]

Yeah, calf-raises where you rest the weights on your shoulders and lift heels will strengthen your feet as well. Make sure you keep your back straight. Get up to about 500-600 lbs and I'm sure the arches will be fine.

Then, be sure your cleats are adjusted to place the ball of the foot over the pedal spindle. A lot of people ride with their feet too far forward on teh pedals and are trying to push down with the middle of the foot over the arches. This will definitely cause pain in the arches. So slide your cleats forward to be more on your tippy-toes.

Also make sure you don't need custom orthodic inserts for your arches. And also determine if your feet is most comfortable in a straight-last shoe or something with more offset for the toes.