For several years, we have read that strengthening the intrinsic muscles of the foot is a fundamental part of the rehabilitation of patients suffering from chronic ankle instability and a criterion to evaluate in patients after sprains.
It is also a factor in the emergence of pain in the achilles tendon region and plantar tenderness.
Their strengthening is also recommended by some for the athletic training of the lower limbs as part of the practice of running.
Which muscles are we mainly talking about in this context?
->Abductor and adductor of the hallux,
-> Short toe flexor,
-> V abductor.
What exercises are we talking about?
Commonly the exercises offered are:
-> Short Foot Exercise: Short foot exercise
-> Hallux extension: First Toe Extension
-> Toe Spreads: Toes Spread Out Exercise
-> Extension from 2 to 5: 2nd to 5th Toe Extension
Generally, these foot core exercises are combined with exercises for the extrinsic muscles of the foot such as the “ Towel Curl ” .
ISSUE
If you already practice them in the office, or if you advise them to your patients independently, compliance with these intrinsic muscle exercises is quite poor . They are difficult to execute, long and tedious .
Some studies which focus on the relevance and effects of these exercises admit that the difficulty of the exercises constitutes a limit. For some people, although at the same time showing their true usefulness.
LINE OF THOUGHT
This study shows that the intrinsic muscles of the foot are significantly used and strengthened during more functional exercises . They are less difficult to integrate and execute, and thus are subject to greater compliance. Even if this publication highlights some limitations in itself, it opens the way to future studies of even higher quality.
These are nevertheless arguments to start supplementing the foot conditioning exercises that we offer to our patients, with more fun and easy-to-perform workshops. Particularly for patients for whom performing the previously mentioned exercises is difficult, and for those whose compliance is poor.
Open access source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09593985.2023.2204947?src=recsys
Our training on the subject:
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