Thursday, February 10, 2011

Manage Foot Pain

Foot pain can have a variety of causes, from standing on your feet all day to nervous foot twitching. Regardless of the reason, foot pain is miserable, as our feet carry us, literally, through out daily lives. Fortunately, there are a few simple tips that you can use to help manage your foot pain.


Instructions


1. Trim your toenails often, keeping them relatively short and cutting straight across the top. Make sure that you do not cut your nails too low, particularly near the curves of the nail, as it increases your risk for ingrown toenails; however, keeping your nails trimmed will help to prevent nails from rubbing into sensitive skin or pressing into your shoes, causing pain.


2. Wear proper footwear and change your shoes daily to help manage and prevent foot pain. Shoes should have lots of arch support, should be light weight and should not cramp your toes. If you have foot pain regularly, avoid high heels and consider buying shoes that are one half size larger than you normally buy.








3. Ice your feet when they begin to cause pain, placing an ice pack on painful areas for 10 to 15 minutes up to five times daily if needed to manage pain. While many people soak their feet in hot water after a long day, heat can actually aggravate swelling, inflammation and pain, so remember, ice is the better way to go.


4. Massage your feet often, particularly around the heel and in the arch of your foot. Getting professional massage now and then can help as well, particularly deep massage techniques such as rolfing, sports massage and deep tissue therapy.


5. Consider seeing a podiatrist if you have bone problems, flat feet or spend your entire day standing. A podiatrist can create special insoles for your shoes which offer support in just the right areas, helping you to manage and prevent chronic pain.

Tags: foot pain, your feet, your shoes, help manage, manage prevent, your foot