In the heat of summer months, the majority of my pregnant clients come to me with a bit of a hobble in their step and complaints about swollen ankles, and leg cramps or leg restlessness. In pregnancy, the legs, which should be our pillars of support, tend to endure a lot of strain as they are now supporting two people instead of one. This can result in a lot of wear and tear on the ankles and feet in particular, causing swelling and cramping.
So much focus is placed on the hips, pelvis and back in pregnancy – for good reason, these are areas that need to be both strengthened in order to support the weight of the baby in second and third trimester, and opened and softened in order to create optimal conditions for a safe and speedy delivery. But sometimes we forget that the two most important things that can assist us in creating strong support and strength throughout these areas are our two feet! When it comes to joints, what happens at the extremes of the body also translates proximally, or nearer to the body – so what happens in the feet affects the back and hips and vice versa.
Prevention is the best remedy, so I always recommend to my clients to start strengthening their joints early in pregnancy to prepare for the months ahead as the baby starts to grow. This preparation will significantly reduce the occurrence of swelling and cramping in those later months. A combination of stretching, strengthening and massage is the best approach for foot pain relief. To start, I recommend yoga therapy poses such as Dandasana with Ankle Circles and Barbie Doll Feet. I’ve included the video for these poses below, and you can find more like these in 10 Minute Yoga Tune® Up Quick Fix for Feet and Ankles here. Remember that in later stages of pregnancy, some adjustments will need to be made to accommodate that beautiful belly! So in Dandasana, follow the instructions, but if need be, separate the feet hip distance apart and always make yourself as comfortable as possible by sitting on a pillow or against a wall for extra back support.
Great foot and toe exercises. Amazing to think about how healthy feet and ankles will translates proximally and lead to healthy legs, back and hips. Exercises will definitely pay off in the 8th and 9th months!
This looks great. I have a friend pregnant now with twins and she is going to love this!
Maybe I can recommend this to my pregnant friend.
this is great! even for those who are not pregnant.
My sister is 5 mo pregnant now and having some of these symptoms – I can’t wait to forward her these links! Thanks for posting the videos, since she doesn’t live near enough for me to teach her, they’ll be great for instruction.
I can’t wait to share this with my pregnant friends and non pregnant friends alike! Things like this, even small things, make me feel so much more confident about one day being pregnant and making the best of it.
Great exercises for everyone! My pregnant daughter and I will enjoy these easy and effective movements, especially after being on our feet all day.
I’m not pregnant
but these excercises are very helpful for my tired and tight feet. Once I started practicing them, I was shocked how inflexible my feet became, and I’m not even a fan of high heels. My feet are so tight that camel pose with being on my toes hurts my toes more, than the actual difficulty with the pose. I have to focus on my feet and document the changes. I’m really looking forward to this. Thank you.
This reminds me that clogs are really inappropriate pre and post natal footwear. There is so much that can be done during pregnancy to help ease the body through these transitions. Especially when the weather is hot and students call in to me and tell me they are not coming to class it is helpful to have some very concrete suggestions to give them for things they can do on their own. I have been wearing flip-flops a lot this summer which I know are horrible for the structure of your feet-I wil lbe concentrating on these sequences as well.
thank you. i will try this out on my prenatal students. they love the feet massage with the balls and this will be a good one maybe to try before and after the tune up to see if there is better coordination and range of movement.
Moving (muscle contraction) is the key to lymphatic circulation. This is a great article, and makes a lot of sense.
While 100% NOT pregnant, this was an amazing ankle stretch! I broke both my feet 2 years ago and am always looking for ways to improve flexibility in my feet and ankles.