Sickled Feet

as a dancer we refered to this 3rd foot positioning as being sickeled

to you non dancers out there

this positioning can lead to many painful problems

let's take another look

in the first image the ankles are rolling out.......caused by a tighter internal calf muscles

Supination is the opposite of pronation and refers to the outward roll of the foot during normal motion. A natural amount of supination occurs during the push-off phase of the running gait as the heel lifts off the ground and the forefoot and toes are used to propel the body forward. However, excessive supination (outward rolling) places a large strain on the muscles and tendons that stabilize the ankle, and can lead to the ankle rolling completely over, resulting in an ankle sprain or total ligament rupture.

the pronated picture

would be cause by

an under active inner

& over active outer

calf muscles

Pronation refers to the inward roll of the foot during normal motion and occurs as the outer edge of the heel strikes the ground and the foot rolls inward and flattens out. A moderate amount of pronation is required for the foot to function properly, however damage and injury can occur during excessive pronation. When excessive pronation does occur the foot arch flattens out and stretches the muscles, tendons and ligaments underneath the foot.

neutral

like switzerland

is what we all can strive for

depending on which diagram best portrays your footzies

there are certain foam rolling, stretching and exercise techniques

you can use to balance your stance

Firstly, a thorough and correct warm up will help to prepare the muscles and tendons for any activity or sport. Without a proper warm up the muscles and tendons around your feet, ankles and lower legs will be tight and stiff. There will be limited blood flow to the lower legs, which will result in a lack of oxygen and nutrients for those muscles

(jen:would prob cause numbness)

Oversupination causes an increased external (lateral) rotation force to be placed on the shin, knee and thigh which places additional stress on the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the lower limb.

FoamRolling is one of the best things you can do for your body.

The poor man's massage.

You can get into any muscle by using certain positioning and support from other parts of your body

Here are just a few examples:

Picture A: is a great warm up, calf roll

Picture B: gets into those shins, the front muscles of the lower leg

Picture C: will open up our outer calf or the gastrac lateral head (pronation)

anterior tibialis/extensor digitorum

*for those with supination, you would need to get into the soleus and gastrac medial head

a proper warm up will determine if you will develop this issues

if you are already experiencing some imbalance

open up the shortened, tighter, dominant side

by rolling/stretching

then work on strengthening the over extended, longer & weaker muscle

with exercise