Strengthening the Arch for Arthritis in the Feet

It is no secret that I’ve been getting cortisone injections in my feet for a couple of years now. I have severe, bone-on-bone arthritis in my midfoot on both feet. It is extremely painful. Surgery is not an option that I want to pursue; my doctor believes that fusing the joint would just move the arthritis to another joint in the feet within five years. Not to mention the long recovery from the surgery.

I have been looking for a yoga solution to my foot pain. I have tried rolling my feet with spiky balls, tennis balls, etc., but this just increased the pain because it wasn’t stabilizing my feet. I do think that rolling the feet is beneficial, and I recommend doing it often, but I also recommend stabilizing the arch of the foot.

This technique is also beneficial for people with low arches, as they tend to lift as they are strengthened. People with high arches also benefit, as it strengthens and stabilizes the arch.

Many years ago, I studied with Julie Gudmestad from Portland, Oregon when she came to Prairie Yoga in Lisle, Illinois. She showed us a technique that I like to call “toes up the block.” It is useful for most people to strengthen their arch and increase the flexibility of the toes. However, it is contraindicated if you have had toe surgery and have rods in your toes.

To start, place a block next to the wall and press the ball mounds of your toes into the top edge of the block. Pull your foot down the block with the toes coming up the block. This is an intense stretch of the toes and causes the arch to lift. Press the ball mounds of the foot into the floor and pull the foot back, keeping the arch lifted and the toes up. You will feel a strengthening of the arch.

Lower the toes, keeping the arch lifted and pressing into the ball mounds of the foot. Repeat on each foot.