Understanding the Importance of Foot Health for a Strong Body

Most people don’t realize how much their feet dictate the rest of their body. As a bodyworker who focuses on posture, structure, and internal mechanics every day, I believe foot health is one of the most underrated foundations of a strong, pain-free body.

The Impact of Collapsed Arches

I see the same pattern again and again in the clinic: collapsed arches.

When the arch drops, the entire foot plate twists. The ankle joint starts compensating. The tibia and femur follow that rotation up the chain. Suddenly, the problem you think is “in your knee” or “in your hip” is actually being created at the floor level.

A client I saw in Singapore this weekend was a perfect example. Her whole foot rotated inward so much that she was almost walking on the inside edge of her ankle. No arch at all — completely flat. From the outside, it looked a little like a penguin waddle, but mechanically, it was far from cute. The collapse in the arch caused the inner knee tissue to bunch and tighten, creating what’s medically called genu valgum (commonly known as “X-legs”).

This isn’t random bad luck. It’s structure. Poor foot mechanics lead to ankle collapse, tibial rotation, knee tension, and valgus patterning. The truth is, most people never get shown how to avoid this.

Simple Exercises for Better Foot Health

Simple exercises can drastically change the arch over time. Here are a few to consider:

• Toe scrunches (towel scrunches)
• Outward ankle rotations
• Short foot drills
• Strengthening the tripod of the foot
  
  

If she had learned these exercises when she was younger, her entire leg alignment would have been different.

Most people assume they need more support in their shoes — thicker soles, higher arch support, more cushioning. In reality, this is exactly what weakens the foot over time. When the shoe does the job your muscles should be doing, the arch stops working, the toes stop gripping, and the ankle becomes passive. That is how collapsed arches develop in the first place.

Tight, narrow shoes squeeze the forefoot and prevent the toes from spreading and stabilizing the body. But overly cushioned, “supportive” shoes create a different problem: they remove the need for your foot to stabilize itself.

On the other side, typical Asian-style slippers let the heel slide around and force the foot into a lazy, shuffling gait — also terrible for structure.

The Right Kind of Support

The solution isn’t more support. It’s less support, with better structure. You want the foot to learn to function again:

• Wide toe box
• Flat sole
• Minimal cushioning
• Flexible shoe that allows the arch to lift and engage
• Foot muscles doing their own job rather than relying on the shoe
  
  

Your foot should adapt to the ground, not to the shoe.

Age and Foot Health

Age matters as well. Younger clients can usually rebuild and correct this faster. Older clients can still improve, but it’s harder — decades of tissue adaptation take time to unwind. With treatment plus the right training, we can absolutely make progress, but prevention is always easier than reconstruction.

How to Start Fixing Your Feet

My biggest general recommendations include:

• Wear wide, flat shoes that allow the toes to spread.
• Use looser socks that don’t compress the foot.
• Train the foot like a tripod — big toe, little toe, and heel should all meet the ground. Never like a blade balancing on one line.
  
  

When the arch collapses, blood circulation in the lower leg also gets compromised. The calf and foot act as a pump for venous return. So when the structure fails, you’re not just dealing with aesthetics or posture. It affects how efficiently blood moves back toward the heart. That’s why collapsed arches often come with fatigue, heaviness, and swelling.

If You Want to Address This Properly

We work with clients across Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, and online to correct these patterns. Through treatment and structured training, we can restore stability through the foot–ankle–knee chain and rebuild the mechanics that should have been there from the start.

If you’re young, fix it now. If you’re older, don’t wait — it only gets harder. Strong feet. Stable ankles. Better posture. Better movement. Better life. Everything starts from the ground up.