Mind the Gap for Fallen Arches

Just because you have fallen arches doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. There are proactive things you can do to improve your feet. 

Issues from fallen arches

When you have fallen arches, a myriad of other issues usually follow. Some of them, but not limited to, are:

• pain,
• altered gait (walking),
• increase risk of injury,
• and plantar fasciitis.

We’re not going to get into which comes first but rather give you a HIGHLY effective exercise at getting your foot posture back on track. 

The muscles of your foot act like a suspension bridge holding up your foot to support all the weight of your body and momentum forces as you walk and run. If your foot muscles get weak from keeping them in casts for years (we’re alluding to wearing shoes 24/7 for decades), you’ll often start having foot issues. 

Many physical therapy exercises like dragging a towel with your foot are good places to start. The exercise we’ll show you is a little more advanced, because it requires more load. More load is a good thing in this case because we get around by walking on our feet.

A good program MUST include weight-bearing exercises, not just sitting exercises, if you hope to see real results long-term. 

Mind the Gap

As you focus on keeping the ball of your foot up and not sinking in-between the structures, your foot muscles are going to be on overdrive. Make sure you keep your weight equally distributed between heel and toes. 

Just holding this position is challenging. Start with just 10-15 second holds. Once you can hold for 30-60 seconds you can start introducing other movements, like overhead pressing, or squatting. 

The act of forcing your feet to react and create that arch or ‘doming’ will not only help your fallen arches or plantar fasciitis but will also do wonders for your balance. 

Remember to do this exercise out of your casts/shoes-otherwise you’re just cheating yourself. 

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