INJURY & REHAB
WHAT’S CAUSING
YOUR CLIENT’S
FOOT PAIN?
Assessing a client’s ability to dorsiflex effectively, and
knowing which exercises will correct their limitations, is
the key to reducing foot pain says Justin Price, creator of
Network’s Corrective Exercise Trainer Certification.
oot pain is an extremely
common problem encountered
by fitness professionals. It will
affect at least a quarter of your clients at
one time or another and can severely
restrict their ability to exercise regularly
and reach their health and fitness goals
(Thomas, et. al., 2011, Hill, C. et al. 2008).
The key to tackling this problem effectively
lies in understanding the possible
musculoskeletal causes of a client’s foot
pain and integrating corrective exercise
strategies into their program that swiftly
and successfully alleviate their pain (Price
and Bratcher, 2010).
F
Common causes of foot pain
Two of the most common musculoskeletal
imbalances that can lead to foot pain are
overpronation and a lack of dorsiflexion
(Price and Bratcher, 2010, Kendall, et al.
2005). Overpronation is characterised
by a collapsing inward of the foot and
ankle toward the midline of the body
(i.e. a flattening of the foot and rolling
in of the ankle). This deviation causes
excessive stress to the structures toward
the midline of the foot (e.g. medial
longitudinal arch) and can lead to pain
52 | NETWORK SPRING 2017