It’s a common occurrence when at the end of a tiring day’s work you reach home, take off your shoes and settle down on a couch for a few quiet moments. Probably that’s the time you realize that your body is sore and strained in many places and your feet are possibly in the worst condition. For human beings, locomotion is a primary task and this becomes possible because we walk upright on two wonderful appendages. Even if you are not walking and merely driving a long distance the very act of accelerating and braking requires heavy use of your feet. Further, our feet are often covered in socks in a sheath of leather which doesn’t allow much breathing.
Causes for foot pain are many like ingrown toenail, fungal infections, callus etc. All of these definitely need to be treated with a physician’s help. However there are also few instances the pain is caused when you try to fit in your foot in a shoes that isn’t made for you or due to fatigue, old age and so on. These kind of common foot pain doesn’t take much time and energy to be treated, all it needs is a good foot massage or manicure or may be just resting your foot in a bucket of warm water.
Toe pain can be of different types. They include
- A bunion is a bony prominence along the edge of the foot, often caused by ill-fitting footwear in women. It also requires change of footwear or inserts to get relief.
- Hammer toes often occur with bunions when the near joint in the toe is bent, creating a hammer-like appearance. The most common cause is imbalance of a muscle-tendon which leads to bending of the toe. Wearing tight shoes often cause hammer toes Continue reading below…
- Claw toe occurs when the joint at the end of a toe fails to straighten. This is often the result of nerve damage that takes place in diseases like diabetes or alcoholism, the muscles of the foot become weak. Treatment of hammer toe and claw toe includes changing to proper fitting footwear and avoiding high heels and tight shoes. Some stretching exercises can also be effective.
- Ingrown toenails occur when skin on one or both sides of a toenail grow over the nail. Ingrown toenails may be painful or lead to infections. Treatment includes soaking of foot in warm water.
- Turf toe is the pain at the base of the big toe resulting from athletic activities. It can also be caused by strain from hyperextension of the big toe
Foot workout
Like the rest of your body your foot also needs a good workout. check out few videos available on the internet or ask your doctor to help with some foot workouts. follow it regularly to get rid of the pain permanently.
Apart from these you can also:
- Grab a pair of shoe inserts thats easily available at any local medical stores. The shoe inserts acts as perfect solution for those who have fallen arches or flat foot.
- Apart from the foot workout also check out for few heel soothing workouts and do it regularly. This is especially for those that love wearing high heels on a daily basis.
- Try covering your foot as much as possible as it will help retain the moisture and keep it from getting dry and cracked. Use moisturizer wherever the foot is dry and cracked also try to use some foot balm before the matter gets worst.
- Wear clean socks everyday
- Wash your feet regularly
- Use antibacterial products to wash your feet.
Remember a health tomorrow is only possible if you take proper care of yourself today. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”
Causes of foot pain
Causes of foot pain can be narrowed down by location and by considering some of the most common factors that causes of foot pain.
- Abnormal foot anatomy– Common abnormalities like flat feet, high arch or joint restriction can be the reason for foot pain.
- Obesity– The entire body weight is carried by the feet. Obesity results in extra strain on joints, ligaments and muscles of the feet.
- Pregnancy– The extra weight during pregnancy and hormonal changes cause ligaments result in excess strain on feet.
- Poor-fitting shoes– Shoes that are not properly fitting on the feet can cause problems.If the shoes are losing the feet will shift around in the shoe while walking. This will make the foot and leg muscles become over-worked and feel tired.
- Overuse- Walking or standing for long hours especially when combined with other contributing factors can make the healthiest feet to become sore. Also, walking or standing on hard surfaces, such as concrete, can put stress on the feet.
- Certain medical conditions can also contribute to foot pain. These diseases include diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular diseases.
Common foot problems and tips to get relief
- Heel pain can be caused by plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a tissue connecting the heel bone to the toes, becomes irritated or inflamed in this condition. Heel pain and arch pain are the most common problems of plantar fasciitis
Treatment for plantar fasciitis includes rest, heel and foot exercises, and shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole
- Heel spurs are abnormal growths of bone on the bottom of the heel bone. These can be caused by wrong posture or walking, uncomfortable shoes or some activities like running. Spurs can cause foot pain while walking or running. People with flat feet or high arches are more likely to have foot pain from heel spurs.
Heel spurs can be treated with cut out heel pads, inserts, wearing proper fitting shoes that have shock absorbing soles and rest.
- Ball of foot pain Strenuous activity, like running or jumping, or ill-fitting shoes are the usual causes of pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot. It is often called a stone bruise which is a deep bruise of ball of the foot. It is often an impact of injury, but can occur after stepping on a hard object.
This pain can be treated by icing and resting the feet, changing the footwear and putting inserts in the shoes to relieve pressure on the ball of the foot.
- Morton’s neuroma is thickening of the tissue around the nerve between the bases of the third and fourth toes. Foot pain or numbness over the ball of the foot is the common symptoms. It can be a result of wearing high heels or tight shoes and is more commonly found in women. It can be treated with shoe inserts, avoiding high heeled shoes , steroid injections in the area of the foot pain
Your feet are under tremendous strain throughout the day and you probably don’t even realize it.
Imagine the stress and strain that can take a heavy toll on your feet from such a daily routine. Going up and down in the office, taking the lift once in a while at the office, walking to the market and numerous other daily chores requires a fair amount of walking. It’s a daily routine like this that can afflict most people with foot pain, if not looked after properly.
However, foot pain can occur from many other reasons which are not limited to just the above scenario described. Foot pain can be caused for various other reasons such as calluses, ingrown toenails, incorrect shoe fitting, fungal infection, fatigue etc. No matter what the cause is, it is certain that foot pain can have a terrible effect on your well being and knowing the right way to soothe it is important. A nice soaking in a bucket of moderately hot water and a quick foot massage is probably something that never fails to soothe.
Here is an easy home remedy solution
If you have the time and money at your disposal you can also get this done professionally at a foot care parlor. In case you don’t, and want to have it done at home here is an easy way to do it.
- Begin with soaking your feet in a bucket of water at room temperature for about quarter of an hour.
- Once that is done, keep a bucket of moderately warm water ready and dip your feet into that. The moment you do so, it is certain you’ll let out a sigh of relief as the warmth seems to work a strange magic on your feet, Do this also for about a quarter of an hour. Here introducing a little salt into the hot water is considered very effective because it is a good antibacterial agent.
- If it is possible, then, by all means, you can use some good aromatic oils such as rosemary or eucalyptus etc. this kind of aromatherapy also has a very calming effect on your nerves and brings a tremendous amount of peace and tranquility for a tired person.
- This entire routine is aimed at softening the outer skin of your feet and improving the blood flow in that area. When blood is once again coursing through the veins and definite relief from foot pain will be instantly felt.
- Once you have completed this schedule it is time to give your feet a good massage with a softening cream or a moisturizing lotion. Of course, a few minutes of professional foot massage will take you to a higher level of pleasure but you can also do it with great relief and relaxation.
- Another good idea is making use of an automatic foot massager if your pocket permits. If not, you can use the many foot rollers available or perhaps acupressure foot massage pads with amazing effect.
Pay more attention to your feet
This was all about relaxing and taking care of your feet with simple home remedy solutions. At this juncture, it is important to point out that special care must be taken about your footwear. Often tight or incorrect footwear is responsible for foot pain so it is important to look closely at this. Often merely the act of introducing a soft show insert can provide amazing relief taking of hard spots that could have caused calluses. If you have paid attention to these then maybe you could include a healthy foot workout as part of your daily regime to bring out the spring in your footsteps all over again.
