You wear designer boots, trendy flats, high heels and running shoes and so on! You move all day from here to there, dance around and perform all sorts of physical activities. Your feet never complain and you hardly pay attention to them until they hurt. But when they do, you realize that the issue needs to be addressed immediately. After all, it is about locomotion!
Causes of foot pain
Before you can actually think of an approach to get relieved, it is required to know the exact points of pain and the probable cause behind it. From the ball of the foot to arch and the tips, the pain may occur in any area and make walking painful. Once you are able to pinpoint the troublesome areas, the hunt for the cause begins.
From simple sprains and strains to chronic ailments such as arthritis and gout, the root for the foot pain may be any, making the mystery behind the foot pain misery a tough one!
However, medical writers have jotted down some of the most common causes of foot pain and the list includes – ingrowing toenails, oedema, tendon injuries and bone fractures, diabetes, embedded objects, bunions, blisters, verrucas, Morton’s neuroma, plantar fasciitis and Metatarsalgia.
ref: Webmd foot pain causes and nhs uk about foot pain.
Home Remedies for Foot Pain
1.Epsom Salt for Foot Pain
The key to getting away with all pains is to hit the cause, which is mostly the deficiency of one of the essential minerals; Epsom salt. And this goes right with foot pain too.
Epsom salt gets readily absorbed into the skin as you let your feet in Epsom bath for some time. Once absorbed, the mineral eases the pain, reduces swelling and improves circulation by relaxing the associated muscles and tendons.
Here’s how you can prepare for Epsom salt bath
- Fill your bath tub with warm water up to a level that touches your ankles fully.
- To this, add 2 good cups of Epsom salt.
- Swish or stir the water well until the salt dissolves completely.
- Rub a drop of cuticle oil on each of your toes followed by soaking your feet for about 10 minutes.
- When done, rinse your feet and wipe away the dead skin with a towel.
- Finally, rehydrate your skin by applying your favorite moisturizing cream.
Epsom salt not only relieves from foot pain but also repairs the rough skin. Therefore, it is advised to include this remedy in your daily ‘to-do’ list instead of doing a favor to your feet only when it is in pain.
You may interested in home remedies for foot corn.
ref: livestrong epsom salt for foo pain cure.
2.Take Vitamins
Just like a mineral deficiency, your body might also be struggling with lack of water soluble vitamins namely Vitamin B-1, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin C. Studies have been successful in recognizing the essential role these vitamins play and the effect their deficiency can have on your body, foot pain being the most common one.
So get the cause diagnosed and add some goodness to your plate!
Go for
- Guavas, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, oranges, tomatoes, peas, papaya, yellow bell peppers and dark green leafy vegetables to boost up Vitamin C levels.
- Animal food, soy-rich products, and cereals for adding some Vitamin B-12 to your diet
- Bananas, seafood, green leafy vegetables and poultry products to gain Vitamin B-6
- Dark green leafy vegetables, baked goods, lentils and nuts, whole grain cereals and pork to bring up the level of Vitamin B-1
Easy foot pain home remedies you love to see.
3.Essential oils to soothe the pain
With essential oils by your side, you can experience the most lavish foot spa right at your home.
Try this and you’ll be amazed by the soothing effect that kicks off the foot ulcers, and inflammation that often give rise to sore feet.
- Prepare a mixture by adding a cup full of Epsom salts and 2 drops each of lavender oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and chamomile oil.
- Take a large bowl and add boiling water to it.
- Let the temperature come down to a bearable point and add a tablespoon of the mixture prepared before to this tub of warm water.
- Stir well and soak your feet in the solution so obtained for good 10-15 minutes.
4.Treat Foot Pain with Calf Stretches
Temporary sprains and strains that come with taut muscles of the feet can be treated with easy stretches that soothe the muscles and prevent the pain. If regular heel pain is what you want to get rid of, then making calf stretching a part of your stretching routine is a sure shot solution.
Stretch your calves by following these steps
- Stand at a distance (equal to your arm’s length) from a wall.
- Place your left foot in front of the right one and slowly bend the left leg forward.
- Now, keep up your right knee straight and your right heel on the ground.
- Maintain the position by holding the stretch for about 15-30 seconds and release.
- Repeat the process at least thrice.
- Repeat the same but this time, by reversing the position of your legs.
5.Reflexology for Foot Pain
Through various signs and symptoms including foot pain, the body tries to indicate that something isn’t right. Foot reflexology is known to do decipher these indicative messages by direct application of pressure on specific foot reflexology pressure points.
The principle behind this effective therapy is based on the fact that certain key intervention areas in hands, as well as feet, correspond to specific groups of muscles and organs in the body. Additionally, the nerve endings serve as a ‘map’ of the whole body.
Be it trauma, injury or problem associated with the musculoskeletal system, reflexology can address it all aptly. It deciphers the message, identifies the underlying cause and treats the responsible imbalances that include decreased circulation, inflamed joints, stubbed toes and recovery from foot surgery and so on.
6.Acupressure Points for Foot Pain Relief
Acupressure technique comes right from the Chinese tradition. It is similar to acupuncture but uses no needles. It is believed that the pressure that is applied on specific points make the body release endorphins, the natural pain relievers and this is how acupressure works.
Although the scientific grounds haven’t found a place to support the principles of acupressure, people have actually seen the magic work! Acupressure is an amazing natural therapy.
To get rid of foot pain through acupressure, follow these steps
- Figure out the source point from which the pain is originating.
- You may consider some other points if your feet are tender or bruised.
- With one of your fingers, try following the calf muscles until you meet a divot just below the mass of your calf muscles.
- Next, move diagonally towards the outer edge of your calf muscles with your finger.
- Now use your thumb to press this point for a second and if you feel some stimulation, congratulations! You are at the right point.
- Hold the point and press it for some 30 seconds up to 2 minutes.
- Now go back to the previous point (step 3) and press it for 30 seconds up to 2 minutes.
- Repeat the steps for the other leg.
Try home remedies for cracked heals for beautiful feet.
7.Exercises for Foot Pain
We understand that when foot hurts, you are not in a condition to step even a bit ahead and so the idea of physical exercise might sound funny!
But before you overlook this part, realize the fact that some of the most common causes of foot pain include plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis and the several exercises have actually been a boon to people struggling with foot pain.
Here’s how to go about some of the exercises
- Sitting plantar fascia stretch
Take a chair and sit down in a relaxed position with one of your feet over another knee. Gently hold the base of your toes and pull them back towards your body until you feel a comfortable stretch. Hold the stretch for about 15-20 seconds. Repeat the procedure thrice.
- Towel pickup
This one is really fun to do! Sit down on a chair with a towel right in front of you on the floor. Now without lifting the heels from ground, try picking up this towel with the help of your toes. Repeat the process for some 15 times more and as you improve, keep adding a little weight (ex : tin of beans) to the towel.
Even muscle cramps are not good try these home remedies for muscle cramps.
8.Foot Exercise for Arch pain
You can always go for calf stretch, sitting plantar fascia stretch and towel pick for arch pain too. But here’s something more that might bring you a speedy recovery from arch pain.
How to begin
- Frozen can roll
This is one of the most basic exercises, to begin with.
- Take a frozen juice can and use it to roll your bare foot over it in the direction – back and forth from heel to mid arch.
- Try buying some time in the morning to get the best out of this exercise.
- Repeat the process for 3-5 times.
- Achilles stretch
Once you are back on your feet well, you may proceed with this one.
- Stand by placing the ball of one of your feet on a stair.
- Travel down the next step with your heel until you feel a stretch in your foot.
- Hold for 15-20 seconds and relax
- Repeat the process at least thrice.
Exercises for foot pain reference: arthritisresearchuk.
9.Massage for sore feet
You do not always need a professional to get pampered! You can always go for inexpensive and convenient options such as massage to get relieved, especially when it is about foot pain!
Massaging the foot by pressing the tender points or by applying some oil and lotion relaxes and soothes the muscles gently and improve the blood circulation to make your feet regain its natural flexibility.
Here’s how you can do it
Trigger point massage
- Sit down in a relaxed position and apply your thumb to move across the sole of your feet bit by bit in order to locate the tender points.
- Once done, press and hold each of these tender points with a medium pressure until it stops hurting.
- Carry on with your hunt for more tender points all across the foot. Do not forget to include the toe areas too.
- Repeat the process with all the trigger points on both the feet.
If you want to use oil or cream, follow this process instead
- Take a tablespoon of your cream or massage oil and apply it to your foot by gently rubbing it across the foot, toes as well as ankles.
- Now, use both the hands to wrap your fingers around the foot.
- Make circular massage movements all over your foot using thumbs and fingers. Do not be in a hurry! Go slow with medium pressure.
- Try to locate a long tendon on the bottom of your feet by rubbing your foot lengthwise. That is, from head to toes and back to the bottom. Similarly, from ankles to the toes back to the top of the foot.
- Continue rubbing across and along this long tendon.
- If it feels comfortable, pinch, squeeze and pull each of your toes gently and apply a brisk movement all around to generate some warmth through massage.
- Repeat the process until you feel a better foot with lesser pain and more flexibility.
10.Hot Water Therapy
Warm water is one of the oldest alternative therapies that has stood the test of time and is still winning people’s reliability.
You may want to explore the potential of heat to get relieved from foot pain instantly. For this, hot water treatment is the best option you can go for without investing much.
Hot water Therapy to cure foot pain
- Take a bucket and fill it with warm water.
- Sit on a chair and soak your feet in the bucket.
- Do not just sit! Keep massaging by rubbing your foot with the other foot’s toes to ensure that you get the best out of it.
You can also add some salts in the bucket to get rid of swelling, if any.
Pain relief for Diabetic foot pain
Diabetes comes up with a number of disturbed metabolisms that accounts for unbearable pains. Amongst the rest, burning, sharp foot pain is the most troublesome one with damaged nerves as the root cause.
To get relieved from the aching pain,
- The thumb rule is to get your blood sugar levels back in normal range. This prevents further damage.
- Next, try some alternatives to medications. This includes meditation, acupuncture, hypnosis, biofeedback and intake of supplements such as alpha lipoic acid.
- You may also go for physical therapies. Swimming and other low impact exercises are the most effective ones.
- Call a professional physiotherapist for regular treatment until pain eliminates completely and continue the exercises even after that.
- If nothing works, consult your doctor and get the appropriate medication.
FAQ
Heat or Ice for foot pain
There’s no doubt on effectiveness and reliability factor of both heats as well as ice therapy. But when to use what, has always been a question of debate!
It’s as simple as that. Heat relaxes blood vessels so that the blood flow carrying the essential nutrients and oxygen reaches the tender points so as to alleviate pain and relax the sore muscles. So go for heat treatment if your joints and muscles are stiff and painful.
On the contrary, cold treats swelling and pain at the site of injury by slowing down the blood flow. Hence, you can use it to recover from sprains, bumps, bruises and other injuries that may occur accidentally.
Prevention and care for foot pain ref: medlineplus.
Which Doctor for foot pain
If you do not see an improvement in pain, swelling or other symptoms associated with foot pain, you should see a podiatrist. He is the specialist who deals with medical diagnosis as well as treatment of all kinds of foot and ankle related problems.
Pain on ball of foot
If you feel pain and notice the symptoms of inflammation on the ball of your foot, then check for your footwear’s fitting. Ill-fitting and strenuous activities like running or jumping are the most common causes.
If you are a crazy high heel lover who often complains about numbness and pain over the ball of the foot, Morton’s neuroma might be the most probable cause.
Pain in arch of foot
Now this is something that is quite serious! The pain develops silently while you stand or walk continuously for hours and prolonged sufferings can end up flattening the natural arch of your feet. ‘Fallen arches’ is the medical term for the condition.
Nerve Pain in foot
Not all foot pain can be traced back to tendons and joints. Some nerves that somehow get irritated or damaged may also contribute to the misery. Stabbing or shooting pain that occurs spontaneously is the key characteristic of foot pain that has its roots associated with damaged nerves.
Diabetic foot pain
The processes involved in diabetes directly affects certain nerves leading to several problems, most common being Peripheral Neuropathy. This can again be of various sub-types depending on the disease process and can lead to a condition where even touching the skin of the foot hurts so bad.
But thanks to the immense potential of the nature that can be explored to get relieved from all of the sufferings, including foot pain.
ref: nfb diabetic foot pain.