Foot health, often neglected, is crucial to overall well-being.

Strong, flexible feet allow us to move, run and jump with ease, as well as preventing falls and injuries.

It helps us move and balance and directly affects our bodily health and physical performance.

In this article, we'll delve into key topics related to foot health, providing detailed information on the causes of common injuries, preventative measures, strengthening exercises, and tips for choosing the right footwear.

The Podcast that inspires

Throughout this content, we will address this incredible and intelligent conversation between two leading professionals in the field about feet several times.

Peter Attia is the host of The Drive Podcast, which focuses on maximizing longevity and everything that entails, from physical, cognitive, and emotional health.

With over 70 million episodes downloaded, it covers topics such as exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, mental health and more.

He is also the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the aim of prolonging their lives and simultaneously improving their health.

In episode #296 “Foot Health: Preventing Common Injuries, Increasing Strength and Mobility, and Choosing Footwear,” he invites Courtney Conley to chat.

Courtney is an internationally renowned foot and gait expert. In this episode, Courtney delves into the world of foot anatomy and function and explores the complexities, discussing foot anatomy, common injuries, and the importance of understanding foot structure in preventing problems.

Furthermore, it clarifies the interconnection of the kinetic chain, from the leg muscles to the foot, and how problems within this chain can cascade, leading to various injuries and pathologies.

Finally, she provides a comprehensive overview of footwear, discussing appropriate options for adults and children to promote foot health and mitigate potential problems.

Factors Affecting Foot Health

Foot health is affected by many factors. Peter and Courtney address these issues with alarm, as the number of people with injuries to some part of the body caused by their feet is only increasing.

Below, we list the main factors brought up by them in this episode, in order to help you understand the different causes:

Genetic factors: Genes may play a role in some foot problems.
Structural imbalances: such as flat feet or heel-toeing.
Injuries: such as ankle sprains or foot fractures.
Inappropriate shoes: This can put pressure on your foot and cause problems.
Lack of physical activity: leads to weakness of the foot muscles.

“When we take that [foot strength] away, you actually make everything much more challenging for yourself, and I think that can really alter our survival as well as decrease our quality of life.” - Courtney Conley

The feet and the cars

As a car enthusiast, Peter makes an analogy between feet and the structure of a car.

He says there are four things that determine a car's speed: the engine, the chassis (aerodynamics, stiffness, etc.), the driver's ability (what he can do with the car) and the tires.

Clearly, the tires are our feet.

So you can have the best car in the world, the most powerful engine, the most important chassis and the best driver of all. But if the tires are bad or destroyed, none of that matters.

Just like our feet.

And he goes further: in his opinion, feet are a much more important part of the body than tires are for a car.

Tips worth their weight in gold

Prevention is better than cure!

By saying this sentence, Courtney gives some tips that are extremely important for improving foot health.

These are simple tips, but they need to be started as soon as possible to restore the health of your body and feet. Learning how to take care of your feet with a specialist has never been so necessary.

Wear proper shoes: Make sure you choose shoes that are appropriate for your foot type and activity.
Exercise regularly: This helps to strengthen the muscles in your feet and improve their flexibility.
Strengthening your foot muscles: Take some time to practice foot strengthening exercises.
Maintain a healthy weight: Excess weight puts extra pressure on the foot.
Avoid activities that put a lot of pressure on your foot.

In addition, she brought up other important points:

Improve strength and flexibility

Foot muscle strengthening exercises: such as heel lifts and toe stretching exercises.
Stretching exercises: help improve foot flexibility.
Physiotherapy: in case of foot problems.

Foot strengthening exercises

Heel raises: strengthens leg muscles.
Toe Stretch: Improves foot flexibility.
Lateral pull exercise: strengthening the ankle muscles.
Toe Raise Exercise: Strengthening the Front Foot Muscles.

“Toe weakness is the single greatest predictor of falls as we age.” -Courtney Conley

Tips for foot health

Foot health is essential for a healthy life.

We hope this article helps you understand the importance of foot health and the factors that affect it, as well as providing tips for preventing injuries, improving strength and flexibility, and choosing the right footwear.