Women Feet flexibility...is this weird?

[superflipgirl]

So my feet/ankles are just simply not that flexible, I can't really point them that far. My coach even told me that they don't point super far, and my sister who does dance says my feet are "terrible." I know it's partly just genetics, a few years ago I had plantar fascitis in one of my feet and a doctor said I was flat footed, another said that for some reason I lack flexibility in my big toes, when they were trying to figure out what was wrong with that foot. So I guess that that's why I have trouble pointing my toes, and I've started doing stretches to help them point more every day.

However, I was just wondering if this was weird...besides my feet, I'm extremely flexible! Like in a freaky way. Obviously partly because of several years of gymnastics, also both of my siblings are really flexible as well, so I'm partly naturally flexible too. Is this weird, that I'm super flexible but my feet aren't? Normally I feel like you would expect someone as flexible as me to be the type who can point their feet all the way to the ground when sitting in a pike....but I can't

Also, does anyone have any ideas for stretches to help me point my feet better? I've been trying some on my own, but want as many suggestions as possible! Thanks!

 

[coachmolly]

It's just the way your feet are made. I've seen kids who can point their feet so their toes are practically on the floor and others who don't even look like they are trying to point their feet when in fact they are trying as hard as they can.

 

[superflipgirl]

Thanks! But is there usually any sort of correlation between the way your feet are made and the way the rest of your body bends? In other words, would you expect someone like me, who can barely point their feet, be the type who also, like, barely has their splits down? Is it weird that I can barely point my feet but I can almost do full oversplits with all three splits while putting one foot up on the couch?

 

[2G1B]

my youngest DD has feet that barely point. She too is naturally flexible in other places - easily got both her front/back splits and only took a tiny bit of work for her middle. But her toes don't point well. She also has problems with plantar fasciitis. The orthopedist commented that her feet are extremely flexible for toes going up towards her leg. Too bad flexed feet isn't what she needs in routines. haha

 

[GYM0M]

There are special stretchers that dancers use. Not sure what they are called, but I have seen them.

 

[gymnastflip]

Link Removed
http://www.footstretch.com/en

 

[Kiwi]

Some people are flexible in some ways and not in others. My DD is mostly not very flexible and has to work very hard at flexibility for gymnastics, but she's always had great side splits. Seems to be just the way she's made.

You don't need to be able to get your toes to the floor in pike. Pointed feet look nice because the line is not broken at the ankle. So you only need to be able to get a straight line through the ankle. This should be enough to avoid deductions. Dancers need more to be able to go en pointe, which you don't need for gymnastics.

 

[superflipgirl]

Thank you everyone!
So I actually found something out last night...I was looking up feet stretches on the internet and I learned about a "fallen arch" which it turns out is what I have! I wasn't born with flat feet, and come to remember I was really confused when the doctor told me a few years ago that I was flat footed because I had remembered that in the past I had really obvious arches when my feet were on the floor. Apparently it can just happen from wearing non supportive shoes, and during freshman year I was running track for the first time and wearing shoes that were probably not very supportive, as that's what caused the plantar fascitis. So since my feet aren't naturally flat, I'm working on getting the arch back, and after a day of stretching I already see improvements and still, if anyone has any suggestions for feet in general, that would be great!

 

[Seeker]

That's good news. Just out of curiosity, what exercises are you doing to help your arches? I have the same issue sometimes.

 

[superflipgirl]

Sometimes, when I'm sitting in a chair, I just point my feet one at a time as hard as I can for 30 seconds each. And I do this thing where I hold onto a countertop or something and curl my toes and push them into the ground and hold them there for 3o seconds. Sometimes spell the ABCs with my feet, sometimes randomly walk on my toes around the house, sometimes just sit in a pike and constantly point-flex my feet

 

[Kiwi]

I've always had 'posturally flat feet'. I have naturally high arches which don't arch all of the time. When the foot is relaxed the arch disappears. Exercises to help: 'doming' the foot to make an arch, spreading the toes, toe-swapping (big toe down, others up, then swap), 'caterpillar walks',.

 

[raenndrops]

It is not rare to be flexible ... except in the feet. My older siblings used to stretch me like crazy from age 3 to age 10 (at least the earliest I remember was 3, but they probably did it sooner).
I could do back bends and put my head between my legs... of course, once i was in a back bend, there was no way to get out of it... so I often would put my head between my legs, drop to my elbows, and let my feet flip over onto the ground... I giess that could be where some of my knee and hip issues come from now, lol.

At 41, I was still doing my right leg splits all the way down - just to AMAZE the team girls who had never seen someone my size and age do the splits
One of the girls yelled at me for not pointing my toes... the problem was that they were as pointed as they get. If I would have even TRIED to point them any further (or if someone else had physically tried to point them), I would have immediately had a cramp in my calf so bad that I would have been stuck on the ground for an hour or more, lol BT/DT, No thank you! Not again!

Keep up the stretching exercises and buy some arch supports if you think you have issues with fallen arches. Good luck.