Wake Up your Feet and Lower Legs to Heal your Aches
Heal postural imbalances by starting from the ground up.
Let’s Start with Your Foundation
Hey Fam,
As a Fascial Stretch Therapist, I had 4 clients this week who all wanted to hear this, so I thought, I wonder if you do, too?
When it comes to posture and movement, everything literally starts from the ground up. Your feet and lower legs are the foundation of every step, every stance, every movement. We don’t really grasp how much we should appreciate and care for them, though, right? If the tissues here are tight or underutilized, it can throw off your whole body, resulting in discomfort and pain in places you might not even realize are connected—like your lower back, neck or even your jaw.
Getting to Know Your Feet
Think about your feet for a moment. They’re often either over-abused without TLC, bearing the weight of your entire body and keeping you moving day in and day out, or they’re underutilized and tucked under a desk all day long until you suddenly decide to perhaps pound them on the ground for a mile long run. Every time you stand, walk, or run, the muscles in your feet are fully engaged. But when they get tight or tired, your gait can start to feel a little clunky. Cue the next-closest muscle group up the chain to share the load…the lower legs are now working harder than they’re used to. Oh, calves are also under or over utilized? K, skip the calves and load the hips and glutes. Oops, hips and glutes have gluteal amnesia from sitting for hours at a time? Let’s put the load of walking straight into the lower back and spine. That’s gonna go well. 😉
Relaxing the bottom tissues of your feet is as easy as stepping on a ball while you’re watching Emily in Paris. I work this into so many of my pre-recorded classes and even have a free, 5 minute guided mini-class for this on Youtube.
Your Shins Work Harder Than You Think
Now, let’s talk about your shins—specifically the Tibialis Anterior. This muscle works every time you walk, and if you’re running, it’s working even harder. When this muscle gets overused, it houses shin splints, which is essentially a Tibialis Anterior strain.
A little self-massage can do wonders for releasing tension in your lower legs, improving ankle mobility, and helping you move with ease. It doesn’t just help with pain, it also helps you avoid those compensations your body makes when something’s off balance. This is a shocking technique for people, especially on a firm foam roller. I’ll throw it in here…give it a try:
The Fascinating Connection Between Calves and Your Whole Body
Your calves might seem like a small part of your body, but they have a big job. They’re connected to the back line of fascia, which runs up the back of your body, meaning tight calves can cause tension all the way up to your neck and shoulders. It’s wild how everything is connected, right? Fascial lines is the science behind how, as explained in one of my older posts from July, linked here if you’re FASCIA-NATED by the subject.
Here’s the thing, though—stretching your calves is good, but it often only scratches the surface. If you’re dealing with a lot of tension, foam rolling can help soften the deeper layers of tension, increasing the overall glide and shear of your fascia, resulting in less pulling and pain in the entire back line. Rolling the calves is not hard to figure out, but it’s a technique woven into many of my classes on Patreon.
The Magic of Toe Spacers
If you’re wanting the fullest expression of any of the above techniques, do them with some toe spacers on. I relax in these things, I take Barre and Pilates in these things, I work on my clients with these things and I definitely spend some time in these things after a day of walking a music festival. Apologies for the jumpscare, but I HAVE to show you the visible stretch these things provide.
One of the easiest (and most overlooked) tools for improving foot health is a set of toe spacers. These little guys (tried a lot, those are my faves) are great for giving your feet a stretch. Add a calf or tib stretch, some foam rolling or yoga while wearing these things and your tissues will be SO MUCH better utilized while wearing them that you’ll be sore the next day. I happened to be born with bunions, and wearing these guys keeps me forever out of pain.
By creating space between your toes, toe spacers allow your foot muscles to relax and stretch in ways they often can’t on their own. This not only feels great but also helps improve circulation, flexibility, and balance. Over time, regular use can make a noticeable difference in how your feet feel and how well they support the rest of your body.
Small Steps, Big Results
It’s amazing how much of a difference waking up your feet and lower legs can make. Whether it’s grounding your arches, giving your shins a little TLC, releasing tension in your calves, or incorporating toe spacers into your routine, these simple steps can help you feel more aligned and balanced from the ground up. And when your foundation is strong, everything else falls into place a little more naturally. 😌
Stay grounded,
Maggie
I was literally just bemoaning my tired, tired arches after a week of hiking. Thanks for reading my mind!