Foot Exercises Continued

If your feet hurt, nothing feels good! And if you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), foot problems often follow. In fact, about 90% of people with RA eventually develop foot or ankle symptoms. One of the best ways to fight back against pain is to keep the joints in your feet active and moving.

Reviewed by Health Monitor Medical Advisory Board
Foot rolls

Find a can, bottle or other smooth, cylindrical container about 2-3 inches in diameter. Fill it with water and freeze it. Put your right foot on the cylinder and roll it forward and backward along your instep. Do 20 rolls with your right foot, then switch to your left foot. Repeat 3 times with each foot.

This move can help reduce swelling.

Foot Roll 1 Foot Roll 2

Toe isometrics
Toe Isometrics

Squeeze all the toes on your right foot together and push them firmly against the floor. Hold the contraction for 20 seconds. Repeat with your left foot. Perform this exercise twice with each foot.


Be sure to check with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise regimen, and remember to only do the exercises to tolerance—do not do too much at once.

These exercises were designed by Marnie-Laatz-Dominy, MS, an exercise physiologist, author, weight loss coach and fitness instructor in Seattle, Washington. The exercises have been reviewed by Sherry Backus, PT, DPT, MA, clinical supervisor in the Department of Rehabilitation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

Updated November 2012
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