Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett Forums Foot/Ankle Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome/Flat Feet/Arch collapse/Shin Splints

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    • #89502

      Hi there! Hoping for some good tips 😉
      My problem: On my right foot my arch tends to collapse in. As a child I had hip dysplasia on the right side, my right femur is always more internally rotated (since I can remember), for 7-9 months I’ve been doing exercises to strengthen the foot arch, tib anterior and also for the hip ext rotators/glute med. For the tib ant mostly thera band stuff, for the glute med also banded exercises as well as things like step ups that force the glute med to stabilize.

      I have a desk job but try to sit for max 2-3hrs (for 4 days/week), but when I make an effort to stand more during work I get Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome on my left foot. My arch is way stronger on the left side than on the right. I recently introduced calf raises in my training, normal standing and bent knee for the soleus – which felt good. A few wks ago I added weight – and it feels like every since, with more standing at work and weighted calf raises the front part of my shins on the left side has gotten noticeably worse.

      Any tips or help would me much appreciated!
      I’m thinking of returning to calf raises without weight, keeping up with the banded work on tib anterior, foot arch exercises and with stability work for the glute med? Anything else or anything that I’m off on?
      PS: How long does it take to actually build a decent foot arch? My right side still wants to collapse every chance it gets!

      Thanks Michaela

    • #89549
      Michael AlzheimerMichael Alzheimer
      Participant

      Hey Michaela!

      Sounds like you have a solid routine going! Try spending more time barefoot. One of the best ways to strengthen the foot is spending more time out of our shoes. Perhaps even some of your training could be performed barefoot as well (as long as your gym allows it and you are okay with being “that person” who trains without shoes). We spend so much time in comfy soft shoes that we really don’t challenge the intrinsic muscles of our feet. Also, as far as weighted calf exercises or the introduction of any new exercise, just treat it as a dose response. If it feels better than keep doing it, if it feels worse you probably did too much. Just keep trying to make progress and gradually you can start adding load as you continue to strengthen the area.

      Mike
      TRS Staff

    • #89556

      Thanks so much!

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