Natural Foot Pain Relief
Foot pain relief....We rely so much on our feet, and abuse them terribly, so it's hardly surprising that we can suffer from all kinds of foot problems and pain... Find out how to get natural foot pain relief, and how to keep your feet pain free in the future... When you think about it, your feet take a lot of abuse, don’t they..? …pounding the pavement all day is bad enough, but when you combine this with uncomfortable, tight, fashionable footwear and high heels, it’s hardly surprising that we all too often end up with our feet in pain..! But, even if you are careful about the footwear you choose, and have a good walking posture, there are still plenty of foot-related problems which you might be unlucky enough to suffer from. There are problems with the bones and joints of the foot: - There are actually hundreds of tiny little bones in the foot. It is so easy to break one, or more, of these tiny bones – and for the most part, you wouldn’t even know about it!
- Did you realise that practically everyone has broken at least one of their delicate little foot bones by the time they become an adult.
- It may not be until later that old injuries start to cause you some bother.
- The delicate and complicated structure of the foot, in itself, leads to plenty of potential injuries, of:
- bones
- muscles
- tendons
- ligaments
- Around 10 years ago, I fractured a small bone in my foot. It was incredibly painful, but I was quite lucky! A millimetre to one side and I could have been in plaster for weeks! I think I did something wrong – probably walking on it too soon – and still have some problems now – especially when it turns damp and cold.
- It is quite common for old injuries in the foot (and elsewhere in the body) to cause ongoing problems, or problems later in life…
Always remember to consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions regarding your health.
Old Injuries
Recent Injuries
Arthritis
Flat Feet
Bunions
Corns
Ingrowing Toenails
Old Injuries- Osteopathy can be very effective for soothing and correcting old injuries – perhaps re-aligning muscles and joints.
- Your posture while walking, and the style of shoe you wear can also really affect the muscles of the whole foot, and cause much pain. In this case, foot pain relief can usually be found by paying attention to the posture, and perhaps wearing more comfortable and flatter shoes.
- A physiotherapist may be able to advise on suitable strengthening exercises to help with foot pain relief, and aid recovering from problems due to old injuries.
Return to the list of foot problems
Recent Injuries- You should take urgent medical advice as soon as possible for any recent injuries.
- In an emergency, until you can get medical attention, ice packs and cold compresses will give some instant foot pain relief, and reduce any swelling.
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ArthritisReturn to the list of foot problems
Flat Feet- Although it may occasionally cause pain, flat feet these days is not seen to be such a problem as it used to be…
- Problems with flat feet are most commonly seen with small children or with the elderly.
- It is only if the feet (particularly the soles of the feet) ache after walking that you really need to worry about foot pain relief…
- In most cases, getting shoes with special arch supports in will probably help, although in some cases you might find this actually more painful than the problem it is meant to cure.
As well as problems with the whole foot structure and posture, badly fitting shoes can also cause other problems with foot pain… Bunions
Corns
Ingrowing Toenails
Bunions- Bunions are almost always caused by badly fitting shoes. When the shoes have pointy ends, or are too tight, they push the big toe at an angle, and a big, hard bump forms over the joint, where the toe meets the foot. The swelling is hard, red and very painful.
- Although a bunion may seem quite trivial at first, if you don’t try to sort it out, it will only get worse, and in the end, surgery may be necessary.
- To avoid this, try:
- Roomier, more comfortable shoes
- A toe pad
- Massage you feet with a carrier oil and essential oils of:
- lavender
- patchouli
- camomile
- geranium
- Acupuncture
- Hot and cold compresses
- Footbath with Epsom salts in it
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Corns- Corns are areas of hardened, thickened skin on the foot.
- Once again, these are usually caused by footwear which is too tight, or too uncomfortable. Obviously, a change of footwear will really help your corns to go away – and if you don’t sort out your footwear, your corns will always come back!
- For more foot pain relief, to help get rid of corns try:
- Soaking your feet in:
- Epsom salt footbaths
- water with sea salt
- warm water with vinegar
- Applying fresh lemon juice to the corn
- Applying a crushed garlic clove to the corn (usually under some kind of sticking plaster)
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Ingrowing Toenails- Ingrowing toenails usually affect the big toe. The toenail starts to grow into the skin which can be very painful, and can become infected too.
- Ingrowing toenails can be caused by:
- poorly fitting shoes (again!)
- cutting the side of the nail at an angle
- you may just be more at risk due to the shape of your nail and toe
- If your ingrowing toenail does become infected, or severely painful, you should always consult your doctor.
To combat infection: - apply tea tree oil
- soak your feet in water with Epsom salts or sea salt
- Always cut your nails straight across at the top, to stop the same thing happening in the future, and make sure that you wear comfortable (sensible!) shoes, for maximum foot pain relief.
- You may be able to ’re-direct’ your ingrowing toenail, by cutting a small ’V’ in the top-center of the nail. This is supposed to encourage the nail to grow away from the side of the toe.
Return to the list of foot problems As you can see, your choice of footwear does have a lot to answer for, when it comes to causing foot pain and problems. If your tight, fashionable, high heeled shoes don’t cause corns, bunions and ingrowing toenails now, they may well cause you injuries or arthritis problems in the future. It is very worthwhile taking good care of your feet – they do work hard for you (which is why you can get do many problems)… Natural health remedies can help with your foot pain relief, so are well worth a try… For more information about herbal pain relief options, click here… Find out more about why alternative pain relief works well on pain Read more about other holistic pain relief treatments you might like to try What works for you? Do you have any tips and experiences in treating your foot pain and problems to share? Tell us about your experiences... Return to the main Widespread and Topical Pain Relief Guide Return from this Foot Pain Relief page to the Home Page.
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