When you’re in the comfort of home, you can help your feet recover from the day and prepare for tomorrow. Try one of these treatments.
Ice your feet
“As much as people don’t want to hear it, immersing the foot — as long as the person doesn’t have vascular problems — in a bucket with water and ice for 20 minutes works to combat the swelling and inflammation that prolonged standing creates in the foot,” says Lucille B. Andersen, M.D., a foot and ankle surgeon in Pleasanton, California. “Each step we take or minute we stand, we are creating micro-damage that the body has to heal. Using ice is an easy, effective way to help the body heal faster.”
Massage your feet
Roll your foot from heel to toe over a tennis ball or baseball. The gentle massage on your feet and arches will stretch tight foot muscles and help your feet recover more quickly.
Elevate your feet
Propping your feet above the rest of your body will help decrease the day’s swelling. You can place them against a wall or on a stack of pillows.
See your podiatrist if the pain persists
Make an appointment to see your doctor if the pain continues, gets worse, or you begin to notice increasing symptoms such as numbness, stinging, or tingling in your feet and toes. Pain is a sign that something is wrong. Do not walk through pain.
You may have a condition such as bone spurs or plantar fasciitis. Bone spurs are a form of outgrowth, and plantar fasciitis is the result of damage or tearing in ligaments of the heel. Fallen arches can also contribute to your foot pain.
