By: Dr. Chris Hobbs DC, MSHAPI, ICCSP Sports Chiropractic Physician and Educator
As a sports chiropractic physician and educator, my patients and students always ask me what the best and fastest way to recover is. And one of my favorite responses is, “It starts from when your body hits the ground and works its way up!” Due to the stresses we have created for our feet, from the concrete sidewalks to the hardwood floors, it creates unnatural stressors and ultimately pain and dysfunction. In sports that same stressors apply, with repetition and speed we can trigger injuries that can debilitate us, sidelining us from the activities we love most.
Foot Recovery: Best Exercises to Rehab Your Feet
Whether you’re healing from a foot fracture, recovering after foot surgery, or simply dealing with chronic foot pain, taking care of your feet is essential to your overall recovery process. The foot is a complex structure, made up of bones, muscles, and ligaments, that bears the brunt of our daily movements. From ankle sprains to stress fractures, injuries to the foot or ankle can drastically affect mobility and quality of life.
Fortunately, there are targeted rehabilitation exercises and foot recovery techniques that can support the healing process and improve long-term foot health. Whether you’ve recently seen a physical therapist, consulted a foot doctor, or are working through recovery after a broken foot or ankle surgery, incorporating these simple routines into your foot care plan can help restore strength, flexibility, and function. Let’s take a closer look at the top foot recovery exercises to help get your affected foot back in motion—no matter where you are in your healing journey.
Foot Drills
One of the best and easiest ways to actively rehab your feet is to cross train your feet doing “foot drills”. Do these six drills daily as a warm-up or cool down post activity as a prevention for any foot or leg problems. Do 25 movements per foot. While barefoot, walk on the inside of your feet, then outside of your feet, then pointing your toes inward, pointing your toes outward, walking backward on your toes, and forward on your heels (shoes if heels are painful).
Lacrosse Ball Stimulus and Foot Tension Relief
One of the best ways to release tension at the bottom of your foot, which is your plantar fascia, can be using a lacrosse ball or massage ball with grooves or bumps to release fascial tension. Make sure you grip/crunch your toes downward then upward as you work the ball into tender areas you discover to release the tension fully. By doing this you also stimulate the nerves of the bottom of your feet to deepen the connection to your brain. We call this proprioception. The better connection our brain has with our feet enhances our foot strength, flexibility, and even decreases our pain.
Supporting Foot Recovery at the Source
Recovery doesn’t end with rest. It’s built through intentional movement, smart foot care, and supportive recovery footwear that prioritizes healing from the ground up. Whether you’re bouncing back from foot surgery, managing foot pain from a recent sports injury, or working through recovery after a broken foot or ankle fracture, every step matters. These recovery tips, from targeted rehabilitation exercises and lacrosse ball massage to daily foot drills, can make a real difference in strengthening an injured foot and preventing future issues from occurring.
But healing is also about what you put on your feet. The Rejuvenate Recovery Slide Sandal was designed with recovery in mind—supporting your arch, cradling your heel, and enhancing natural foot alignment with every step. The Rejuvenate Recovery Slide Sandal is engineered with an advanced EVA foot bed to provide plush cushioning with massaging comfort. The dual-density midsole, oversized side walls and deep heel cup cradles your foot for enhanced support and recovery. Overall creating maximum recovery through superior foot contact and natural foot alignment. We’ve tapped into that feeling with the Rejuvenate Recovery Side Sandal.
Finding balance in our bodies is part of our mission at Vionic. That’s why we’ve developed Vio Motion technology—a three-zone comfort system designed to promote natural alignment from the ground up. Every pair is engineered with hidden arch support, a deep heel cup, and superior cushioning to reduce pressure, enhance stability, and support every step of your recovery journey. Because true recovery isn’t just about getting back on your feet—it’s about moving forward with confidence, strength, and support you can feel.
Author:
Dr. Christopher Hobbs is a Sports Chiropractic Physician, Educator and Owner of Montclair Performance Health & Chiropractic, Inc. He obtained his BS in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University, Masters in Human Anatomy and Physiology Instruction (MSHAPI) and Doctorate of Chiropractic at Northeast College of Health Sciences. Dr. Chris earned his International Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (ICCSP) post-graduate work, which is a certification and specialization in chiropractic sports medicine, rehabilitation, and enhanced sport performance. He is also certified in KinesioTaping, NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT), and a Webster Certified practitioner for expecting mothers to be. Dr. Chris believes that your treatment should be “custom fit” to each patient, and that no two patients’ treatments are alike. He understands the importance of the mechanics of the feet to adapt in the kinetic chain of movement and treats lower extremity and foot musculoskeletal issues daily. In his clinic, he uses chiropractic techniques, therapeutic exercises, myofascial release, and instrument-assisted soft tissue techniques to resolve your specific issues.
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