Sore Feet

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Sore Feet

Easy Ways to Revive Tired, Aching Feet

Pity poor podiatrists. Just like waitresses, airline attendants and nurses, they're on their feet a lot.

"Some days, I see patients at heavily populated nursing homes, and that means I'm walking or standing almost all day long," says Teresa G. Conroy, D.P.M., a podiatrist in private practice in Philadelphia. She sidesteps pain with two important pieces of apparel: support hose and running shoes. "The stockings help keep my feet from swelling, and the shoes cushion my feet so they don't hurt," explains Dr. Conroy. "I recommend them to many of the women I treat."

It's true that preventive care is the best way to stop foot pain. No one should dismiss tired, aching feet as normal, even if you've been on your feet all day.

SOOTHING STEPS TO IMMEDIATE RELIEF

If your feet hurt, you'll instinctively take off your shoes. Here's what to do next.

Have a nice soak. Nothing beats soaking your feet in water as a quick fix for sore feet, says Cheryl Weiner, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio, and president of the American Association for Women Podiatrists. "It just plain makes aching feet feel better."

Some people prefer warm water, others cool water. Either is fine, says Dr. Weiner. Avoid very hot or very cold water, especially if you have diabetes, which can damage nerves in your feet, or circulation problems.

For an especially invigorating soak, says Dr. Weiner, draw two basins of water, one warm, one cool, and alternate between the two.

Get 'em up. If your feet are sore and swollen from a long day of sidewalk-pounding, lie down and prop your feet up so they are at least a foot or so above the level of your head, says Marika Molnar, P.T., director of West Side Dance Physical Therapy in New York City. "This position allows blood and other fluid that has pooled in your feet and lower legs to flow back toward your heart."

Treat your feet to a tennis-ball massage. This massage can be done with a Super Pinky (a solid rubber ball about the size of a tennis ball, but softer, which is available at some sporting goods stores) or with a tennis ball. "Stand and press your foot down on the ball. Working from the center of your heel, move down either side of your heel, then down to the ball of your foot," suggests Helen Drusine, a massage therapist who works with professional ballet and Broadway dancers in New York City. A massage like this helps release and relax muscles and connective tissue in the arch of your foot, spread the bones in the ball of your foot (called metatarsals) and energize nerves, says Drusine.

BE KIND TO YOUR FEET

In some cases, poor-fitting shoes play a role in sore feet. To buy shoes that fit--and fit well--here's what to do.

Shop for shoes late in the day. That's when your feet are at their largest, says Nancy Elftman, a certified orthotist/pedorthist (a professional shoe fitter) in La Verne, California.

When To See A Doctor Lingering foot fatigue is often the result of poor biomechanics: Your foot may not move properly when you walk. If home-care tactics don't work, see a podiatrist, a doctor who specializes in foot care. She may prescribe orthotics, custom-made shoe inserts that can correct your gait. She can also check for dislocated or broken bones, including tiny stress fractures, and will diagnose and treat pinched nerves, inflamed tendons and other bone problems.

What Women Doctors Do Make Yourself Comfortable Marika Molnar, P.T. All day long, Marika Molnar, P.T., director of West Side Dance Physical Therapy in New York City, administers to the city's hardworking ballerinas and Broadway dancers, helping them with exercises and treatments to heal their much-abused feet. So what does she do when her own feet hurt? "I lie down with my hips and knees bent and put my feet up on a chair or bed to elevate my feet above my head," says Molnar. Then, breathing rhythmically, she gently and slowly rotates and flexes her ankles and feet to move the fluid out of her feet and back toward her heart. "I do this for about ten minutes, and it always makes my feet--and my legs--feel better," she says. To strengthen your foot muscles, Molnar suggests standing in a doorway and, grasping the doorway, lifting one foot and balancing for about 30 seconds. Repeat with the other foot. "The muscles of your foot work to keep your weight balanced," she says.

If your feet swell considerably in the days before your period, you might want to have one especially comfortable pair of lace-on shoes for this time, adds Dr. Weiner.

Draw the perfect fit. Take a piece of paper and, standing with your full weight, trace your foot on it. Then make sure that any shoe you buy covers the tracing completely. If at any point the tracing extends beyond the shoe, it means that the shoe is too small or narrow, says Dr. Weiner.

Choose supportive shoes. If you strain your arches, your feet will ache all over, and your legs will feel crampy and tired, says Dr. Weiner. For good arch support, she says, wear high-tech sneakers--running or walking shoes. And if you're buying new shoes for work or dress, ask to see styles with good arch support. Running shoes also offer super shock absorption, so they're ideal for coddling arthritic or diabetic feet, adds Dr. Weiner.

Add support if you must. To improve arch support in nonathletic shoes, insert arch supports (available at sporting good stores and shoe repair shops), says Dr. Weiner. If achy legs still are troublesome, see your podiatrist. She might prescribe custom arch supports called orthotics.

Pad them. While most of our body parts accumulate fat as we age, our feet lose their fatty, shock-absorbing cushion. And the increased pressure on the bones in the ball and heel of a foot translates into pain.

To pad any shoe, insert firm rubber insoles, such as Sorbothane. "But make sure that adding insoles doesn't make your shoes too tight," says Dr. Weiner. For the best fit, buy a pair of insoles first, then insert them in whatever shoes you try on.

Retire the stilettos. "Never wear heels more than 1½ inches high," says Kathleen Stone, D.P.M., a podiatrist in private practice in Glendale, Arizona. Anything higher shifts your weight forward onto the ball of your foot, putting tremendous pressure on the tiny bones in that area. For many women, the result is pain, and sometimes permanent damage to the feet.