Foot Aches
Foot Aches
18 Feet Treats
Oh, pity those poor dogs of yours. No, not Fifi and Pierre. You treat them with respect. You cosset, coddle, and pamper them like royalty. You never squeeze them into high heels and make them shop till they drop. You never force them to cram a month's worth of sightseeing into five measly days. You never walk all over them—day after day, year after year.
But your feet! Well, friend, they're another story. Oh, you're not the only one who takes those for granted. Few of us think about our feet at all until they hurt. The rest of the time, we simply use them like there's no tomorrow.
So what can you do at the end of a long, hard day when your feet cry uncle? You can't just throw them out and get a new set. No, siree, it's one pair to a customer, and you have yours. If you expect them to last as long as you do, you'd better sit down and heed some advice from the experts.
MEDICAL ALERT
Set Foot in the Doctor's Office According to Mark D. Sussman, D.P.M., you should definitely see a doctor if: - You have pain in your feet that continually increases during the day.
- Your feet get to the point where you can't keep your shoes on.
- You have trouble walking first thing in the morning—"the first three or four steps are killers."
Also be aware that painful burning in the feet can be a sign of poor circulation, athlete's foot, a pinched nerve, diabetes, anemia, thyroid disease, alcoholism, or other problems. |
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Elevate those babies. "The best thing you can do for your feet when you get home from work is to sit down, get your feet up, and exercise your toes to get the circulation going again," says orthopedic surgeon Gilbert Wright, M.D., of Sacramento, California, spokesman for the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society. So elevate your feet at a 45-degree angle to your body and relax for 20 minutes.
Soak 'em. A tried-and-true foot revitalizer is to soak your feet in a basin of warm water containing 1 or 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts, says Maryland podiatrist Mark D. Sussman, D.P.M. Rinse with clear, cool water, then pat your feet dry and massage in a moisturizing gel or cream.
Run hot and cold. Dr. Sussman recommends a treatment popular at European spas. Sit on the edge of the bathtub and hold your feet under running water for several minutes (alternate 1 minute of comfortably hot water with 1 minute of cold, ending with the cold). The contrasting baths will invigorate your whole system. If you have a shower-massage attachment, use it for an even more stimulating workout. But as always, if you have diabetes or impaired circulation, don't expose your feet to extremes of temperature.
Find the essence of relaxation. A variation of this technique comes from aromatherapist Judith Jackson of Cos Cob, Connecticut: Soak your feet for 5 minutes in a shallow tub of hot water containing 6 drops of eucalyptus oil and 6 drops of rosemary oil. Slosh your feet in the water and let the eucalyptus essence relax you. Then drain the water and pour some cold water over your feet. Follow that with hot water from the tap and then more cold. For an entirely different experience, use 6 drops each of juniper oil and lemon oil in the initial bath. (Look for essential oils in health food stores.)
Brew up a tea party. If you don't have any essential oils, says Jackson, make a strong brew of peppermint or chamomile tea. Steep four tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water. Add the brew to 1 gallon of hot water. Soak your feet as above, then follow with the alternating cold and hot rinses.
Massage away your aches. "A really nice thing is to have somebody massage your feet with baby oil," says Dr. Sussman. If you can't find a willing partner, take matters into your own hands. Either before or during a soak, says Jackson, give yourself a nice little foot massage. Work over the whole foot, squeezing the toes gently, then pressing in a circular motion over the bottom of your foot. One really effective movement is to slide your thumb as hard as you can in the arch of the foot.
Get relief on ice. Another way to refresh tired feet is to wrap a few ice cubes in a wet washcloth, then rub it over your feet and ankles for a few minutes. Ice acts to relieve any inflammation and it also serves as a mild anesthetic, says Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, podiatrist Neal Kramer, D.P.M. Then dry your feet and swab them with witch hazel, cologne, alcohol, or vinegar for a cooling and drying effect.
Exercise! We don't mean aerobics or any other heavy-duty activity. But many doctors recommend that you exercise your feet and leg muscles throughout the day to ward off aches and keep the circulation going. Try these ideas from experts at the Kinney Shoe Corporation.
- If your feet feel tense and cramped anytime during the day, give them a good shake, as you would your hands if they felt cramped. Do one foot at a time, then relax and flex your toes up and down.
- If you must stand for long periods of time, walk in place whenever you can. Keep changing your stance, and try to rest one foot on a stool or step occasionally. If possible, stand on carpeting or a spongy rubber mat.
- To relieve stiffness, remove your shoes, sit in a chair, and stretch your feet out in front of you. Circle both feet from the ankles ten times in one direction, then ten times in the other. Point your toes down as far as possible, then flex them up as high as you can. Repeat ten times. Now grasp your toes and gently pull them back and forth.
- For a nice mini-massage, remove your shoes and roll each foot over a golf ball, tennis ball, or rolling pin for a minute or two.
New York City skin care specialist Lia Schorr recommends these foot-reviving workouts:
- Scatter a few pencils on the floor and pick them up with your toes.
- Or, she says, put a handful of dried beans in moccasin-style slippers, slip them on, and walk around the room several times—you'll get a massagelike workout on the soles of your feet.
Save your soles. Try wearing shoes with thick, shock-absorbing soles to shield your feet from rough surfaces and hard pavements. Don't let your soles become too thin or worn because they just won't do the job they're supposed to do. Women's thin-soled, pointy-toed high heels are classic villains, says Dr. Wright. If you must dress up for work, ease foot strain by wearing walking or athletic shoes to and from the job and switching to heels at the office.
Change heel heights. Wearing high heels tightens the calf muscles, which leads to foot fatigue, says John E. Waller, Jr., M.D., an attending surgeon in orthopedic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. So changing heel heights from high to low during the day is an excellent idea.
Wear insoles. High heels have the added disadvantage, says Dr. Waller, of causing your foot to pitch forward as you walk, putting painful pressure on the ball of your foot. To prevent this discomfort, wear a half insole to help keep your foot in place. And be sure to take the insoles with you to the shoe store to ensure that they'll fit comfortably in your new shoes.
Stretch your shoes. When you add insoles to shoes you already have, says Dr. Sussman, make sure they don't cramp your toes. If things are tight, you may be able to stretch the shoes to accommodate the insoles. Fill a sock with sand, stuff it into the shoe's toe box, and wrap the shoe with a wet towel. Let it dry out over the next 24 hours. Repeat once or twice, if needed.
PANEL OF ADVISERS
Judith Jackson is a health and beauty consultant in Cos Cob, Connecticut. She is also a certified aromatherapist with a degree in massage and aromatherapy. She is author of Scentual Touch: A Personal Guide to Aromatherapy.
Neal Kramer, D.P.M., is a podiatrist in private practice in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Lia Schorr is a skin care specialist in New York City and author of Lia Schorr's Seasonal Skin Care.
Mark D. Sussman, D.P.M., is a podiatrist in Wheaton, Maryland. He is coauthor of How to Doctor Your Feet without the Doctor and The Family Foot-Care Book.
John F. Waller, Jr., M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the foot and ankle. He is attending surgeon in orthopedic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Gilbert Wright, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon in Sacramento, California, and spokesman for the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society. He is also director of the Sacramento Orthopedic Foot Clinic.
