A quick anatomy lesson.   

Structure

The foot is made up of 26 bones 33 joints and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments that attach to the bones of the foot. 

Movements of the foot and ankle.

• Plantar Flexion (Easy way to think about this movement planting your foot down on the gas pedal)
• Dorsiflexion (The action that happens to your foot when you go into a squat).
• Eversion (Moving the bottom side of your foot away from your midline).
• Inversion (Moving the bottom side of your foot towards your midline). The Usual movement that happens when you roll your ankle. 
• Adduction (Moving your forefoot towards your midline).
• Abduction (Moving your forefoot away from your midline).

Purpose of your foot

• The foot contributes to the locomotion of an individual.
• The support the body weight of an individual. PLUS supports the weight of the bar and weights when doing any movement. 
• They absorb the ground reaction force of an individual.

Problems that happen with the feet. 

• Plantar Fasciitis 
• Sprains
• Strains
• Tendonopathy
• Fractures

The relevance of the foot within CrossFit. Well it definitely makes it harder to lift without feet. What can you do to keep your feet in better condition to help with your CrossFit. 

Limiting your time in jandals. 

The more time you spend in Jandals, the more you are hindering your potential. Wearing Jandals requires substantially more muscle contraction, specifically in your big toe. The structure of your foot works harder than ever, and changes your biomechanics which can lead to an array of problems for your feet, including hammer toes, and Plantar Fasciitis. Furthermore, the biomechanical changes can lead to issues in other areas such as achilles, calves or your knees.

Why bother with hindering your performance in CrossFit, lessen the amount of time you spend in Jandals. 

Limiting your time in high heels

What does heels do for you apart from making your calfs look bigger. Well once again they change up the biomechanics of the lower extremity (leg), by making muscular structures work much harder. This increase in muscular activity through a windlass mechanics creates undue stress in the arch of your foot, which alters the biomechanics of your leg and how it translates the ground reaction force towards the hip, predisposing you to injuries.   

Taking care of the feet. 

A simple bit of advice that I give to clients when talking about foot care is, "show your plantar fascia some love by rollin it out". What is the plantar fascia? This is the structure that is under your feet, which acts as a rubber band and forms your arch. When I say roll this out. I mean put a lacrosse ball or tennis ball underneath your foot and move the ball from side to side and up and down, 30 to 45 seconds a day. If this is too easy, the next step would be to place your other foot on top of the foot with the ball underneath it. Which adds some weight and wiggle your toes around. This can be intense so do take it easy. 

My recommendation don't use a golf ball as these are unforgiving. A lacrosse ball, tennis ball or the like can alleviate the stress caused by Jandals or High heels. But to truly unlock your full potential, care and look after yourself, visit us Motionplus Osteo.

Take home message, 

Look after your feet.