Using a foot roller


If you want your muscles, including the muscles of your feet, to get stronger, you need to train them. And that means putting the muscles through some motions that challenges them a little bit more than they're used to. And as difficult, and painful, as that can be, it's really only half of what happens, which most people don't talk about, but I will - tight and sore muscles.

In bodybuilding, that type of soreness the day after a good training session, and especially the next-next day, is called DOMS, which means "Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness". This is not to be confused with injury, which is sharp pain, this is just a dull soreness, and tightness of the muscles - and yes, you can get it anywhere your body moves, right down to your toes.

When I was working to regain the arch of my feet, many years ago, I got a foot roller massager thing (I'm really not sure what you call it), which is just a piece of plastic with random lumps, bumps, and bulges that you roll around with your feet. I'm doing it right now as I talk to you, it's on the floor under my computer desk and I'm barefoot.

Of course, if you're Cleopatra I guess you'd have people do this for you, but that's not absolutely necessary, or even the best thing. You know where your feet are sore, and that's where the plastic lumps and bumps need to massage away the soreness.

No, it's not a miracle, and it won't cure you in a minute, but it helps a lot. I know, because regaining the arch took a lot of work, and a long time, and of course a lot of soreness during the process. I'm back to working on more "feets of strength" nowadays, including (but not limited to), the "thumbs up big toe" (which I didn't even realize that I couldn't do until this week), and so the foot roller is getting some good use, and I will continue to use it. Note to dogs: this is not a chew toy!

Highly recommended!

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