how to improve foot stability control

September 8, 2009 9:04 PM

How do I improve the stability control of my foot?

From my husband:

When I stand on one foot, I get really wobbly because my foot starts rocking back and forth trying to remain stable. It's not because the other muscles are failing or I'm off balance, it's just that I can't plant it solidly without muscle twitches.

My foot almost instantly tries to cramp and it's the exact same feeling and the exact same muscle that makes rollerblading difficult. I don't experience it in stiff boots, like skis and ice skates. It's also an instant reaction and not a fatigue failure over time.

It's not a question of me needing to run more or other muscles higher up my leg failing - I have very good balance, work out regularly, and am in shape. This problem has existed since I was a kid and has lasted through intense seasons of football, track, rugby, and soccer, as well as a time where I was regularly rock-climbing.

I'd like to be able to stand with one foot planted solidly and not have muscles twitching randomly.

What is it that is weak (i.e. muscle groups) and how do I strengthen it?

FYI, I'm a 25-year-old male with wide feet.

posted by bookdragoness to health & fitness (13 comments total)

I have found calf extensions to very good for strengthening the muscles of the foot.
posted by dfriedman at 9:12 PM on September 8

It has become very trendy lately to wear Vibram "Five Fingers" shoes/foot-gloves as people claim they help strengthen foot & leg muscles as you run and improve stability. I cannot vouce for these claims, but I hear people talking about them all the time.
posted by GuyZero at 9:15 PM on September 8

Do you go barefoot much? It sounds as though you're used to letting your footwear stabilise your ankle. I would try to rack up as many barefoot hours as possible, even if it's just walking around the house in my socks.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:21 PM on September 8

Try a search on Medline Plus on foot care. The podiatry information listed there will most likely describe your husband's foot condition and simple remedies.
posted by effluvia at 9:25 PM on September 8

Calf raises are good. Also, practice standing and walking on your toes and standing and walking on your heels. All of those exercises will strengthen the small muscles of your feet and ankles, which will improve balance.
posted by decathecting at 9:26 PM on September 8

Why not have him try to do some ankle exercises? The New York Times recently had an article with a video of how to do various ankle exercises, and I think these are the right sort of muscle areas to help with the stability issues.

Has he tried to stand on one foot for some period of time (a minute or so), or does he give up quickly due to the wobbliness? The article suggests that one-footed toothbrushing is a good way to get in the balancing time while you're doing something else.
posted by that girl at 9:29 PM on September 8 [1 favorite has favorites]

It's probably nothnig to do with your muscles given you're otherwise fit, I bet your feet just aren't terribly well designed and you have a gait issue. A podiatrist would be able to help you, probably with cutsom made orthotics, but that may be overkill just so you can stand straight. At the very least if I'm wrong and it is a muscle problem a podiatrist will be able to tell you which ones and what to do to strengthen them, much more so than random strangers who've never even seen your feet.

This is also why the reasoning behind the whole barefoot like shoes and no shoe fads are wrong, evolution didn't make your feet some wonderful work of engineering, just made them well enough for your ancestors to not be eaten. Gait problems are common and what you're describing sounds pretty classic.
posted by shelleycat at 10:18 PM on September 8 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have the same problem and fairly similar setup [decent shape, exercise regularly, decent balance] and my problem is just that I have flat feet. The Mayo Clinic suggests orthotics, among other things.
posted by jessamyn at 11:17 PM on September 8

Standing solidly on one foot is a trainable skill. This is a motor learning problem, you have all the physical structures necessary for the task at hand. Balance is specific to the task, I would wager you spent little time during football, track, soccer, rugby and climbing practice standing solidly on one foot.

Before you do any outlandish training, try this for a month. Every time you eat or go to the bathroom, stand on each foot for 5-10 seconds, increase the duration as you get better.

Podiatrists are unqualified to address gait issues and orthotics are bandaids. If you want to address gait issues see someone who has studied biomechanics or kinesiology and works with athletes.

The reasoning behind barefoot/vibrams is not wrong, there is plenty of evidence demonstrating footwear can alter stride, gait and foot strike. I am sure it is a surprise to no one that the dominant Kenyan marathoners grew up running in bare feet.
posted by zentrification at 11:53 PM on September 8

Thank you all for your ideas! At this point, he'll try doing the one-footed balance training with a focus on muscle control.

I think I'll try the New York Times article's approach too, because a couple years ago I rolled both my ankles badly and, well, they still need work.

I'll report back on how it goes, and feel free to throw out more ideas.
posted by bookdragoness at 12:11 AM on September 9

Podiatrists are unqualified to address gait issues and orthotics are bandaids. If you want to address gait issues see someone who has studied biomechanics or kinesiology and works with athletes.

Maybe this is a regional thing because here in NZ podiatrists are trained in biomechanics and kinesiology and work with athletes as well as normal people. Gait analysis and correction is exactly what they do and are trained to do. I agree that this is the kind of professional to see.

And the barefoot thing might work find if you're made like a Kenya marathoner, or even if your feet and ankles are normal. But if they're not, if your feet and ankles are badly designed and incorrectly put together (like they are for a large proportion of people including me) then no amount of strengthening or stretching or barefeet simulation will do anything (and can make things worse) and correction is necessary. Including, yes, orthotics where they're indicated.

I realise I wasn't very clear before, it's the idea put forward by the five finger people that feet are perfectly designed due to evolution and somehow modern shoes negate this that is wrong, on both counts. Instead what works for each person will depend on how they're made. bookdragoness, if your husband has a gait problem (which is entirely possible from the description) then that should be addressed, and just going barefoot a lot won't do it.
posted by shelleycat at 12:16 AM on September 9

I should have suggested seeing someone with a masters/phd/equivalent in biomechanics of kinesiology.

Podiatrists in New Zealand are only required to complete a Bachelor of Health Science in Podiatry, with optional post graduate training to prescribe medicine. I guess the undergrad classes I took on kinesiology and biomechanics also qualify me to address gait issues.

Anyways, you don't see successful athletic teams or world class athletes using podiatrists for their gate issues.

Suggesting orthotics for gait issues is an antiquated paradigm, as gait issues do not arise from foot strike patterns and can not generally be 'fixed' through altering the surface you land on. Knowledgeable practitioners address gait issues by looking at structural imbalances throughout the lower extremity, hips and back.

No one is taken seriously in the barefoot community claiming "feet are perfectly designed due to evolution", the argument is more along the lines of "our feet are perfectly capable of running without shoes, and the design of modern shoewear alters gait and foot strike in a fashion that is probably detrimental".

Shellycat has yet to cite anything to reinforce the ideas that a) feet and ankles can be badly designed b) incorrectly put together and c) that this happens in a large portion of the population

As for the ridiculous idea that if you have badly designed ankles/feet "no amount of strengthening or stretching or barefeet simulation will do anything", I suggest reading this paper.

To evaluate these hypotheses, 17 recreational runners were analyzed to study the adaptive pattern of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot due to increased barefoot weight-bearing activity. Changes occurred in the medial longitudinal arch which allowed deflection of this arch on loading which substantiated the hypotheses.

For anyone skeptical of the merits of barefoot running, here is some literature looking at the subject
http://sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm
http://www.barefooters.org/medicine/
posted by zentrification at 10:17 AM on September 9 [1 favorite has favorites]

A physical trainer recommended standing on one foot to improve balance -- aiming for 30 seconds per foot. I was wobbling like mad till she told me to squeeze my butt muscles and look straight ahead. Remind yourself to 'get organized' before you begin. It'll still take time, but you'll get there.
posted by wryly at 10:41 AM on September 9