Arch Pain? Foot strengthening exercises can help!

Arch pain is a condition that is seen quite often here at The Foot Clinic. Our experienced podiatrists have helped many of our Perth patients with arch pain caused by a bony problem, by muscle or joint issues, or linked to skin problems.  There are many different underlying causes of arch pain, and our first step is to make sure that we identify those causes.

Your podiatrist will then formulate a treatment plan specific to your needs, to address the underlying cause and alleviate the pain and discomfort.

Everyone can benefit from foot strengthening exercises. Strengthening exercises are one of our preferred treatment protocols for arch pain issues and they can be applied in many situations. Using these intrinsic muscle exercises will help you build strength and resilience across all the structures in your feet.

Foot strengthening exercises, to avoid arch pain,  will generally be combined with other treatment techniques here at The Foot Clinic Perth. These may include changes to footwear, functional foot orthoses, foot mobilisation therapies or low level laser therapy. Our team of experienced podiatrists may recommend some core strengthening work, which will also help you avoid problems in other areas of your body such as the lower back. “Foot to Core Integration Exercises”, or balance exercises may also be part of your treatment plan. The joints, muscles and ligaments in our body are all connected, and a problem in one specific area can trigger discomfort in other areas.

Arch pain is often linked to the positioning of your feet, so we recommend it is investigated with a complete biomechanical assessment. This is an overall look at the structure and function of your lower limb, and includes a gait analysis. It shows us how your foot impacts the ground when you run or walk. In normal situations our feet first roll inwards and then outwards, as part of the natural way our body distributes weight when we are on the move.  A biomechanical assessment helps us understand how your feet react to the impact forces, and to the daily demands you put on your feet. With that clear understanding we can then make suggestions about the most effective treatments and solutions for your arch pain.

The team at The Foot Clinic Perth use our combined expertise in the field of Sports Medicine and Family Podiatry. We build on our experience treating elite athletes and patients of all ages who use their feet without being athletes.  Adapting to change and innovation, always on the lookout to introduce new ideas and treatment techniques, committed to excellence and with a strong intention to help you enjoy every moment of every day.