| Note: you can use hand balls and tennis balls for the | | | | the use of tennis balls and Fix Your Feet Balls is the |
| following exercises. | | | | first, and most likely last, step to putting an end to |
| High arches, fallen arches, pronation, corns, bunions, | | | | callouses, corns, bunions, plantar fasciaitis, pain in your |
| callouses, and most anything else that can go wrong | | | | feet in general, etc. All of this occurs as a result of |
| with the feet can be positively affected by a simple | | | | disorganization. Feet abnormalities stem from |
| (non-surgical!) procedure. If your feet hurt I can | | | | disorganization, and if you can fix that, you fix it all. |
| guarantee you need to use this inexpensive | | | | *As you work out the pain and soreness in your feet |
| self-maintenance tool. In all the years and thousands of | | | | with these balls you will be allowing the 3 arches |
| feet I've worked on, I have never met anyone who | | | | (medial, lateral, transverse), the 26 bones, the 33 joints, |
| can''t benefit from these. You can fix your feet! | | | | and the unspecified number of hinges to reestablish |
| My how-to instructions for the Fix Your Feet Balls | | | | themselves back to normal, individually, and in relation |
| explains the exact procedures which will enable you to | | | | to each other. |
| understand your feet and how to bring them back to | | | | High arches will eventually drop into normal, and flat |
| normal. If you don't lose these balls, they should last | | | | feet, when the tension holding them down is released, |
| indefinitely. Fix Your Feet Balls (in combination with | | | | will be able to rise into normalcy. *(This requires some |
| tennis balls) are the perfect tools for working on your | | | | exercising of the inner arches by stepping your feet |
| feet. There are 26 bones, 33 joints, and an unspecified | | | | apart medium-wide with your knees bent and your |
| number of hinges in each foot and if you can find any | | | | feet turned out. Begin to push your knees apart while |
| pain while standing on either tennis balls, or these Fix | | | | lifting your medial, inner, arches. Do not lift your heels or |
| Your Feet Balls, then you can be sure that those 26 | | | | the balls of your big toes off the floor. Practice walking |
| bones, 33 joints, and unspecified number of hinges are | | | | on the balls of your feet.) |
| in a disorganized state. And if your feet are | | | | No matter what anyone tries to sell you, never use |
| disorganized then you can be sure that the rest of | | | | hard balls like golf balls or wooden tools to work on |
| your body is too. Look at the Leaning Tower of Pisa | | | | your feet. It's too easy to mistake uncovering and |
| for illustration; poor foundation and everything above | | | | dissolving pain with inflicting pain. It's not hard to bruise |
| goes awry. Soreness (and downright excruciating pain) | | | | your feet and that will only set you back. *On that |
| in the soft tissue is indicative of stressed and | | | | note, I never recommend using wooden implements in |
| compromised musculature and thus inevitably as a | | | | general for self-massage, for the same reason. You |
| result, skeletal disorganization. | | | | can be very efficient, with more appropriate tools, |
| How did your feet get so messed up you might ask? | | | | without the risk. |
| I'll tell you. | | | | If your foundation (your feet) is not organized then |
| #1: Shoes which are not the shape of the healthy foot. | | | | nothing above them has any chance to function |
| Feet are not narrower at the front as most shoes are. | | | | properly. |
| Cram your foot into one and over time your foot will | | | | And by the way, as you release and organize your |
| become shaped similarly. Think about the interesting | | | | feet, they will get bigger. This is a good thing! If you find |
| cultural tradition of binding the feet in China and then | | | | your shoes beginning to feel as though they belong to |
| look at the more subtle, but similar in effect, tradition of | | | | someone else and feel too tight, this means you are |
| women wearing high heeled shoes in our culture and | | | | doing a great job. Discontinue wearing those shoes, |
| the disastrous repercussions. No natural foot is shaped | | | | throw them out or give them away. Your feet will |
| anything like most of the shoes people wear, with | | | | reshape themselves to the old mold if you let them. |
| recognizable results. | | | | Don't! Cut loose and move forward. Stand on your |
| #2: Heels (anything over ½" high) which lift the | | | | own two new feet! |
| back of the foot up and put too much pressure on all | | | | OK already, so how do I use them? |
| three arches: the transverse arch ( across the balls of | | | | This is done in one of two ways. |
| the foot), the medial arch (inside), and the lateral | | | | 1) Stand with one ball (tennis or handball) under each |
| (outside) arch. This pressure compresses the bones of | | | | foot. *Use only one ball under one foot if it is just too |
| the foot and inhibits the arches from working the way | | | | intense. If this is the case then you have got a project |
| they were designed to work, as springs. | | | | ahead of you but one worth undertaking! |
| #3: Arch supports which inhibit the medial arch from | | | | Slowly shift your weight from foot to foot, each time |
| dropping down to work as the spring it is designed to | | | | changing the position of the ball a little bit. Take a nice |
| be. When the foot steps onto the ground it is meant to | | | | slow breath and exhale for each pressure on the ball. |
| spread width-wise and also to lengthen (like a spring). | | | | Gradually work your way around the entire bottom of |
| Shoes which do not allow this spreading and | | | | your foot. Each time you step onto the ball it will be in |
| lengthening destroy the natural functioning of the | | | | a different place, and little by little, you will "clear" the |
| wonderful foot and cause all kinds of problems, not all | | | | area. Clear means no pain. Rolling the balls around the |
| of which are localized in the foot. People who feel | | | | bottoms of your feet does nothing we are interested |
| they need arch supports and orthotics have extremely | | | | in. It may feel like a little massage but it will do nothing |
| disorganized feet and using said "crutches" are only | | | | to structurally reorganize the foot, which is what I want |
| setting the distortions deeper into the disorganized | | | | you to do. |
| structure of the foot, as well as everything above it. | | | | Each session, I recommend using tennis balls to start |
| This of course leads to plenty of future problems for | | | | out with, and then alternating with Fix Your Feet Balls. |
| the complications resulting. Great for the | | | | Replace your tennis balls as they begin to get soft. |
| manufacturers of these products and the administering | | | | *Put 3 of your softer tennis balls in a sock and tie the |
| physicians but not so good for you. | | | | top off tight. Use this tool to work on your hips and |
| #4: Walking on hard, flat surfaces. We humans love to | | | | sacral area. See the complete instructions on the |
| make everything around us simple and easy; trying to | | | | Flextasy website. |
| make it so no effort is required, and this we call | | | | 2) Use this method if it is too intense to stand on the |
| progress and civilization. So things do get easier (no | | | | balls at all, or if you just want to get at the feet from a |
| need to lift the garage door up, the automatic opener | | | | different angle. Sit on a stool, or low step of the stairs, |
| does it for you, saves you time so you can go to the | | | | and put one ball under each foot. (Hopefully you can |
| gym and lift weights) and we, as a culture get more | | | | use the Fix Your Feet Balls for this, but I have had |
| spoiled and weak in many ways. Anyway, walking on | | | | clients who have had to start this way with soft, |
| flat surfaces doesn't require the 26 bones of the foot | | | | worn-out tennis balls. Yikes!) Lean forward and rest |
| to move much; uneven surfaces (take a hike | | | | your forearms on your legs near your knees. Lean as |
| someday) actually massage the joints and hinges of | | | | much pressure onto the balls as you comfortably, |
| the feet, mobilize the ankles, and cause differentiating | | | | uncomfortably can. SLOWLY begin moving the balls |
| movement to occur through all the calf muscles. | | | | around the bottoms of your feet. SLOWLY, cover the |
| #5: Walking with the feet turned out (like a duck). This | | | | whole bottom, all the while looking for pain and trying to |
| is very common and wreaks havoc with the ways the | | | | lovingly dissolve it. Don't miss any spots. In case you |
| arches, hinges, and joints of the foot are designed to | | | | haven't noticed, SLOWLY, is the key word for this |
| work as the foot lands and pushes off the ground | | | | process. |
| during organized walking. This practice also destroys | | | | Remember, the good part about this, and all of the |
| ankle function and creates a dense, painful calf, due to | | | | tools I recommend, is that YOU are in charge. Take it |
| the fact that the ankle joint and the calf muscles are | | | | easy and figure it out. It's just you and your pain. Work |
| not required to move at all when walking this way. | | | | it out at your own pace, but work it out! |
| The good news is this: normalizing your feet through | | | | |