Each of your foot movement is loaded with your weight causing some strain. When you are on your feet for longer than usual then you will feel pain. Whether you stand, walk or do strenuous running, you will feel pain in the foot once in a while.
As you age, your muscles become weak and you can get age related foot pain.The foot pain can be acute or chronic depending on your circumstances and age.
It is a very common condition and most of the time it is not serious. You can take the following precautions and use home remedies for foot pain.
1. Use Water to Soothe Pain
Water can solve a lot of problems we face. While hydration keeps us healthy, a dip in the water, both or shower keeps us refreshed. Sometimes your paining foot just requires a little bit of extra blood circulation.
This is when a combination of hot and cold water dip will be very useful. This should be the first line of treatment when your foot pain is caused by long hours of standing or walking.
- Fill a bucket or tub with cold water and another with hot water. Make sure that the hot water is not too hot to burn the skin. Both the buckets/tubs should be wide enough for your foot to comfortably rest in. Sit on a comfortable chair next to the bucket.
- Immerse your paining foot in cold water bucket first for best results. Keep it there for 3-5 minutes and then move the foot to the hot water bucket. Keep it therefore the same time. Alternate this process for 2-3 times. Total time your foot should remain in the water for 15 -20 minutes for best pain relief.
- If both your feet are paining. Then keep one foot in the cold water and the other in the hot for 3-5 minutes and then reverse the order. Repeat the cycles 2-3 times as above to get foot pain relief within the next 15-20 minutes.
Since the blood vessels are constricted and dilated alternatively, the blood circulation improves resulting in oxygen supplies to the cells and pain ceases.
2. Foot Massage with Oil
Massage your aching foot with coconut oil or mustard oil. You can do it yourself or ask someone else to do it, your don't have to go to a professional massage therapist.
- Sit comfortably in a chair. Lift the ailing foot by folding the leg vertically.
- Take a teaspoon of coconut oil in the palm of one hand. Hold the raised leg from bottom by the other hand and rub oil on the foot sole and toes.
- Gently massage the area for 5-10 minutes.
The oil massage improves blood circulation and reduces foot pain. If you do not have coconut oil or mustard oil handy, then you can use any other oil. Even if you don't have any oil, just massage the sole of the foot and toes. You will feel pain relief.
If any one else is doing the massage for you then the best position will be to lie down. Let the other person do the oil massage on your foot.
3. Foot Massage with a Tennis Ball
You can also massage your paining foot with a tennis ball. Even golf ball or any other ball will do the job, but the tennis ball is the best. Once again you have to sit comfortably on a chair.
- put the sole of the paining foot on a tennis ball.
- Role the tennis ball with the pressure and grip of the foot
- Control the ball rolling to ensure that the entire sole and toes are active
This is a playful way of reducing foot pain. In fact you can simultaneously do any desk work while your foot is playing with the tennis ball.
If you still have foot pain, then consult your doctor.