We all experience foot pain from time to time. Some people are more prone to experiencing foot pain than others as a result of standing all day. It is said that spending a great deal of time on your feet may take a toll on your body because you change your natural gait to offset some pain you are feeling in the foot. The report shows that having an incorrect stance can lead to alignment issues causing foot, ankle, knee and back pain.
Professionals in the medical, educational and consumer retail sectors are more prone to foot problems resulting from standing all day. In this article, I will share with you the main causes of foot pain and how to relieve foot pain from standing all day.
After a long day of standing on your feet most of us would do anything to soothe those aching, tender feeling in your feet.
Standing for a long period without rest causes a variety of avoidable issues. Pain in your feet will cause poor posture which leads to further problems.
The most common types of foot pain the ones you may experience as a result of standing for too long.
The above picture illustrates some of the most common foot pain problems. Most of which are made worse by excessive standing. In this section of the articles, I will share with you the most common cause of foot pain.
#1 Heel pain
We put too much pressure on our foot especially because our jobs require that we do. This excessive pressure on our feet, resulting from standing excessively, jogging too much and becoming overweight, causes heel pain.
Heel pain is discomfort felt under the heel of the foot. As said before, it is a very common form of pain experienced as a result of standing for an excessive period of time. It causes the underneath of your heel to feel very tender, sometimes, as if you are standing on the heel bone without any cushion. Heel pain is linked to plantar fasciitis.
In fact, the scientific name for this type of pain is plantar fasciitis which is the inflammation of the base of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia tissue. The plantar fascia is a thick, tough and resilient band of connective tissue that runs along the underneath of the foot, from the heel bone to the toes. Its main purpose is to maintain the arch of the foot, absorb shock for the entire leg and stabilise the metatarsal joints during impact with the ground.
People with very high foot arches or flat feet are prone to plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis has the potential to change the way you walk in a bad way causing the development of foot, ankle, knee and back pain.
How to fix this problem of plantar fasciitis?
The main solution or prevention of this problem is to offload some of the weight from plantar fascia tissue. You can do this by:
- Regularly stretching the calf muscles to relieve tension and increase the flexibility of the muscle.
- Wear appropriate footwear that is very comfortable and offer support.
- Avoid wearing flat shoes because they do not offer good foot support and place undue pressure on the plantar fascia tissue.
- Put ice pack under the heel for up to 20 minutes every two to three hours. It will help to reduce the inflammation. Never apply ice directly to your skin, always use a towel between the ice and your heel.
- Rest the heel for a while. You can do this by reducing the amount of standing that you have to do. Try taking a regular seating break.
- Consider losing weight. Losing a bit of weight will reduce the pressure on the plantar fascia tissue.
- Get a comfortable shoe with arch support and a slightly raised heel. This will relax the plantar fascia tissue.
- As a last resort use medication. Oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are preferable. A perfect example is ibuprofen that is used to reduce pain and inflammation.
Things that you can do if the problem is more severe.
Place pads or insole in the shoe to cushion the impact of your steps. You can also consider wearing compression socks that you provide some support to reduce the pain of the fascia tissue. Wearing a removable walking cast can also help as it will provide support in order to allow the fascia tissue to rest.
Wearing night splints will allow your foot to stretch while sleeping. The splint will keep your feet in a ninety-degree position, stretching the plantar fascia tissue to relieve pain from standing all day. If the foot problem is a result of an abnormality in the foot then an Orthotic device may help. This device will fit into your shoe to correct the underlying structural abnormalities that may be causing plantar fasciitis.
#2 Metatarsalgia
Metatarsalgia is pain and inflammation of the ball of the foot. Normally, it is associated with pain at the end of one or more of the metatarsal bones. The pain is typically felt and is aggravated when standing or walking excessively.
How to fix metatarsalgia?
Initial treatment includes regular icing and application of a pressure bandage. Your doctor may suggest that you rest the foot by not putting weight on it for at least 24 hours. This may not be possible because we have to go to work.
Resting can surely be done over the weekend. Consider using pads or other orthotic devices to provide relief. A change of footwear to something that offers more support and a bit of cushion to release the pressure on the ball of the foot is a good idea. A change of footwear to something more comfortable may be enough to offer some pain relief.
Starting a regiment of light stretching exercises may help but should be done with care and in moderation. You do not want to be excessive and cause re-injury. The key takeaway here is to rest.
#3 Morton’s neuroma
Morton’s neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot. This condition most commonly occurs in the area between your third and fourth toes. When suffering from this condition you may feel as if you are standing on pebbles in your shoe. This condition can sometimes cause a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot.
It is not uncommon for you to feel a sting, burn or numb feeling at that location on your foot. Morton’s neuroma is the thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to the toes. Individuals wearing high-heeled, tight or ill-fitted shoes are the main suffers. If that is not you then the risk is lowered.
How to fix this problem?
If you suffer from this the first thing that you need to do is to change your shoe into something more comfortable and that offers foot support. No flip flops, not even on holiday.
Many people experience relief by just switching to lower heeled shoes with wide toe boxes. You do not want to escalate to the point of you needing corticosteroid injections or surgery.
#4 Arch pain
Arch pain is as a result of the weakening of the posterior tibial tendon which result in fallen arches. The weakening, tearing or inflammation of the posterior tibial tendon is known as the posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD). This tendon connects the calf muscles to the bones located on the inner foot.
As a result of the weakening of this tendon the arch of the foot is no longer properly supported. Whenever this happens, you may develop flatfoot. Common problems associated with fallen arches include plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, increased fatigue and arthritis of the foot and ankle.
How to fix this problem?
The main treatment of arch pain is to provide arch support. Your doctor may provide you with an orthotic device or brace. This will fit inside the shoe to offer more support. Rest is also important and you may be required to immobilize the foot by wearing a walking boot to get the tendon a chance to heal. Exercise may be good also to strengthen the tendon but after a period of rest. You do not want to fight through the pain. Pain signifies that something is wrong, so listen to your body. Change may be needed for your footwear to improve arch support.
#5 Tendonitis
Achilles tendinitis is the irritation or inflammation of the tendon found at the back of the ankle. The most common problem is pain and swelling around the tendon.
How to fix tendonitis
Resting is very important therefore you should rest your sore tendons. Icing the area is also a good idea as it may also ease the symptoms of inflammation.
Light stretching may be required to regain strength, flexibility and a range of motion in the tendones. calf stretches, in particular, can help the tendons in the feet, as tight calf can cause more strain on the extensor tendons.
Simple things you can do every day to relieve foot pain
Most things in life can change but sometimes we cannot change our jobs as readily as we would like. It would be nice to quit the job that causes us to be standing all day but that is not a real solution. In learning how to relieve foot pain from standing all day we can start from the simplest tasks that anyone can do. In this section, I will share with you a few things that you can do every day to relieve foot pain.
Wear proper fitting shoe
A starting point for relieving foot pain is to wear shoes that provide foot support. Shoes with very high heels do not provide adequate foot support. Therefore the first thing that we can do is to wear shoes with lower heels.
Shoes that squeeze the toes is also no good because it may result in the development of calluses or bunions. You definitely do not want either of these foot ailments because they are just painful.
Since high heels are bad for foot, because it causes foot pain when standing in them for a very long time, we may think that wearing flats are much better. If you think so, you would be wrong again. Wearing flats like flip flops does not offer support to your feet and may cause foot pain if you stand around in them for an extended period of time.
The takeaway from this is that, it is important that you wear shoes with lower heels but at the same time not flat. The perfect footwear should instead offer arch support, roomy but not too big, and not squeeze the toes. If the bottom of the shoe is too hard then using gel support is a good idea. You can use the Dr. Foot Plantar Fasciitis Gel Arch Support Shoe Insoles.
They are thicker than normal gel insoles, comes with a self-adhesive strip and are super cheap on amazon. If you purchase anything through the Amazon links amazon I may get a referral fee but it won’t affect the price you pay. I just want to let you know.
Take regular breaks to relieve foot pain.
Standing all do can lead to pain in the foot or even swelling. It is, therefore, a good idea to take regular breaks if you can. You should try and sit for a bit.
Having a mixture of movement is a good idea. Stand sometimes and sit other times. Shift your body weight from foot to foot is you cannot take a break on a frequent basis.
Stretches to relieve foot pain
Foot pain can be caused by the overuse of a particular group of muscles. It is important then that you do a little stretching of the muscles that are linked to the foot.
You can shift your body weight on one foot then point your toes towards the ground, then bring back to a ninety-degree angle, then hold your foot in a fixed position then try to trace a circle with your foot (the source of the circle is your ankle).
You can do both legs for two minutes at a time just to relax the muscles in your feet. The next thing you can do is to sand flat on your feet then lift yourself up by standing on the ball of your feet, as you are going on your ‘tiptoe’.
Do this for a few minutes. If you go for lunch, you can do this stretch on the edge of the staircase. Be careful here because you do not want to fall. Falling on the stairs it just too painful, so hold on to the rails.
Massages are a good way to relieve foot pain resulting from standing all day.
Massage is a good way to relax the muscles. When you get a chance you can massage your feet with your hand. If your feet are a bit stinky and you do not want to use your hand then there are alternatives.
You can take off your shoe and roll a bottle with your foot to ensure that you feel the pressure with your instep. It is a cheap way to get a little comfort. If the bottle is too noisy you can use a ball.
For my foot, I purchase the Yoga Fitness Electric Massage Roller and use it under my desk and at home while I am watching the television. It really relaxes my feet. The vibrating sound may make some noise but you can use it without turning on the machine.
When your coworker finds out what you are doing they are going to want to borrow your vibrator roller.
If you want something cheaper you can use a regular foot massage ball available on amazon. It is OK to purchase one on amazon because it is both cheap and convenient.
Arch support could relieve foot pain from standing for long periods
Standing too long definitely causes the arch of your feet to be sore. Plus shoes are not designed properly these days.
I sometimes use arch support in my shoes just to relax my foot arch. I use the Plantar Fasciitis Arch Support Insoles in my shoes. It provides my feet with adequate arch support. I do not know why they do not build a shoe with natural arch support.
Simple things you can do at night to relieve foot pain
When you reach home, there are a few things that I do at home to relieve foot pain. These ideas are quite simple. As a matter of fact everyone can implement some of these ideas for normal foot care.
Foot spa
Imagine reaching home after work, take off your work clothes and put your feet in the foot spa while you watch your favorite file. The foot spa that I like comes with massage mode. The Foot Spa Bath Massager with Heat and Massage and Bubble Jets is one I like. With this massager, the machine works to relax your feet and improve blood circulation. Relaxing after work has never been better.
Ice your feet
Icing your feet is a low tech solution to soothe your feet. There are a few things that you need to consider when icing your feet. The first and most important is to not put the ice pack directly on your skin as it could burn you skin. It is much better to put a piece of cloth between your skin and the ice. So that the ice does not make direct contact with the skin.
Foot soak in epsom salt
You may soak your feet in Epsom salt for pain relief. The Dr Teal’s Epsom Salt Bath Soaking Solution is what I sometimes use when I can’t be bothered with using the foot spa. If you do not have a foot spat then just putting your foot in a bath pan with some Epsom salt will relax you foot muscle. I sometimes use the Epsom salt in conjunction with the foot spa. I am not sure it is recommended but it seems to work well with me.
Foot socks are sometimes used to relieve foot pain
When standing all day your feet have a tendency to become swollen. Compression socks can help to relieve the pain in your feet. The compression from the plantar fasciitis socks can be very beneficial. If used wisely the plantar fasciitis socks can use be used to decrease foot pain in the short term.
The socks help but the best results for treating plantar fasciitis are stretching and exercising to strengthen the muscles. If your feet swell from standing then the compression socks can be used to reduce inflammation and decrease the swelling.
Night splints
Night splints can be worn while you sleep to stretch the plantar tendon. It helps to keep your feet at a 90-degree angle. Sometimes the plantar fasciitis tendon can feel stiff and the night splints will give it a good stretch. The constant stretch will you sleep will help to relax the muscles during the day. These splints can be really bulky but they work really well. You can wear this until the pain is gone.
Things that everyone should do to properly care for their feet
Elevate your feet
Treat corns and calluses
Keep moving
Wear proper fit shoes
Lose weight – maintain a good weight
Conclusion
No one likes to feel Foot pain. Foot pain can be debilitating but there are things that you can do to relieve foot pain. Hopefully, this article showed you how to relieve foot pain from standing all day. Persistent foot pain should never be ignored especially if you have circulation issues. If pain persist you should speak to a doctor. Be mindful of numbness in your feet because it could signal nerve damage. Remember the simple things that you can do to relieve foot pain, wear comfortable footwear that support your feet, stretch the tendons by doing exercise and rest your feet as much as possible.
Reference
https://www.foothealthfacts.org/conditions/posterior-tibial-tendon-dysfunction-(pttd)
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/metatarsalgia#1
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