Hamstrings and Calves Tight Due To Parkinson’s? Address Your Feet!

My Early Bird Young Onset boxing class often see me rolling out my feet when they arrive to class. They ask me, “Oh, do your feet hurt?” My answer is, “No, I’m preventing that from happening.” This is a routine I do every morning and night to prevent foot pain and cramps.

Do not take your feet and ankles for granted. You put all your weight on them and expect them to track correctly as you walk, stand, lunge, jump, and even bike. Your feet help calibrate the alignment of the rest of your body. The bones of your feet move with every step influencing how your ankles, knees, hips and spine move and align with one another.

With Parkinson’s Disease feet can cramp, pain, tingle, tremor, pronate, curl up, and collapse due to neuromuscular disconnect, tight tissue, and faulty gait mechanics. Why would you ignore such an important part of your body which can affect your balance and quality of life? You must treat your feet.

Tightness in Your Feet Affects the Entire Body

By rolling out and massaging the plantar fascia, the long ligament on the bottom of your foot, you are hydrating tissue, stimulating the nerves, and mobilizing the little bones. The diaphragm in the foot pumps with all the other diaphragms in our bodies. A rigid foot can affect our pelvic movement and breathing, crazy huh?

With this foot myofascial release technique you will be able to get closer to reaching your toes. How is this possible? By rolling out your feet, your hamstrings will become less tight. This will help with Parkinson’s Lazy Bum and posture, and make it easier to activate those glutes.

Foot Myofascial Release Technique

• Get a tennis ball, softball, or racquetball (if you have tender feet).
• First be seated or standing holding onto a solid object for balance.
• Place the ball under one foot and start rolling the arch. Don’t be afraid to PUSH HARD as you roll.

• Roll along the sides and center, from the toes to the heel, you will feel sore spots. Spend a little more time on these areas.

• You can see Gary can only reach the top of the tongue of his shoe (note this is AFTER he participated in a yoga class)

• We quickly rolled out his feet and voilà! He could almost touch the ground. That is a 3-inch difference. He was amazed.

• Spend 2 minutes or more on each foot. Don’t attempt to touch your toes if you have balance issues, low blood pressure, or in a wheelchair. Just know your hamstrings are a little looser and your feet will still feel amazing.

It’s very important to do this daily before your exercises. It will get you ready for action and help prevent injuries. Do it again at night to massage out the abuse your feet take all day. It can address the cramping and curling toe symptoms too.

Photo credit: Morgan