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Conservative treatment
Returning to sports activities
After effective treatment of FHL, you must relearn how to use your foot — and your whole body — harmoniously. From Nordic walking to pivoting sports, the return is built gradually, with regained footing and resynchronized movement.
Treatments
Relearning to use your body as a whole
If you suffered from FHL and have benefited from effective treatment, you will need to relearn how to use your feet properly. And since FHL affects the entire biomechanics of the locomotor system, it is the whole body that must relearn to move harmoniously.
For those who practice a specific sport, a return to learning the basic movements is advised. For complex sports such as ball sports — stops and starts, changes of direction — this relearning may require several dozen hours of adaptation. Releasing the FHL allows smoother, more stable movement and more efficient footwork.
Nordic walking, the ideal way to resume
For a gradual return to physical activity, Nordic walking is particularly well suited. This brisk, active walking with poles can be practiced in all seasons, does not require a high level of fitness, and remains accessible at any age. The use of the poles is the key element: it straightens the body and aligns the spine, harmonizing curves and tensions through the alternating movements of the arms and legs.
Like Pilates-style posture exercises, Nordic walking stabilizes the pelvis by strengthening the hip extensors and the deep abdominal muscles. Gradually, the roll-over of the foot improves and the stride lengthens: releasing the FHL provides better footing and resynchronizes the physiological movement of walking.
Beyond biomechanics, it is a complete sport: stimulation of the entire musculature and of balance on slightly uneven terrain, cardiorespiratory training, osteoporosis prevention, improved blood circulation, and the positive psychological effects of an outdoor group activity — all while sparing the joints.
Running, in moderation
At the next level, and provided there is no contraindication, running is an activity of choice after an FHL release. It can, however, be hard on the joints if practiced poorly or too intensively. For people who were not regular runners, or who have joint problems or excess weight, intensive running is not recommended after age 40 — to be considered case by case.
Practiced in moderation, at less than 20 kilometers per week, running has undeniable benefits for the body. It is recommended to call on professionals to learn to run correctly (running school). Sustained, high-quality core strengthening of the abdominal, lumbar, and pelvic region is a prerequisite for a sound practice of this discipline.
The well-being of our feet
In our way of life, wearing shoes almost permanently is harmful to the health of our feet. The foot is a part of the body rich in sensory afferents, with a complex architecture. Shoes cut it off from the sensory stimulation of the ground and, through their rigid structure, relieve it of its structural and dynamic role — leading to deconditioning and muscle weakening.
« Our feet need to move freely and to be stimulated by the surfaces they rest on. All barefoot activities are beneficial: yoga, martial arts, and gentle gymnastics are excellent allies in relearning movement. »
Centre Orthopédique d’Ouchy
Pivoting sports, a specific preparation
Returning to pivoting or pivoting-contact activities requires specific preparation: training movement sequences, starts, and changes of direction, with work on muscular explosiveness. The quality of your anchoring to the ground is paramount and is trained on increasingly unstable surfaces, first in sneakers, then barefoot.
Footwear is very important and must keep rocking to a minimum during the roll-over of the foot. Certain molded devices or foot orthoses can be a useful addition, particularly for skiing.
Next pillar
New-generation foot orthoses
A dynamic orthosis that guides the foot without immobilizing it, developed from research on FHL.
In practice
Return
gradual
Recommended activity
Nordic walking
Running
under 20 km/week
Complex sports
relearning required
Barefoot activities
all beneficial
Coaching
running school advised