Get Relief From Foot Pain With These Remedies

No one willing to rub your sore feet? No problem! Read on for easy, natural home remedies to fight foot pain

You spend up to 80% of your waking hours on your feet, and each day your feet absorb over 2,265,000 kilograms of accumulated pressure. So it’s no wonder that, from time to time, your feet end up in a world of hurt. (And they can be even sorer if you’ve been wearing flip-flops.) Virtually anything can cause foot pain, including shoes that don’t fit, diseases like arthritis and diabetes, and poor circulation. Here’s what you can do for sore feet.

Soak Away Foot Pain

For a refreshing and stimulating treat for sore feet, fill one basin with cold water and another with water as hot as you can comfortably tolerate. Sit in a chair, and place your feet in the cold water. After 5 minutes, switch to the hot water. Repeat. This “hydromassage” alternately dilates and constricts blood vessels in your feet, boosting circulation.

To pamper your feet with essential oils, fill a bowl with hot water and add 2 drops peppermint oil, along with four drops each of eucalyptus and rosemary oil. Soak for 10 minutes.

If you don’t have any essential oils at home, brew up a very strong cup of peppermint tea and add it to the water.

Alternatively, soak your feet in a warm-water footbath spiked with half an ounce of arnica tincture. The improved blood flow almost instantly results in foot pain relief.

Find Sore Feet Relief Through Massage

Buy a roller specially designed to massage the soles of the feet (you can usually find them at health stores), or roll your bare feet over a tennis ball, golf ball or rolling pin for several minutes.

To make a stimulating massage oil to soothe foot pain, combine 3 drops clove oil with 3 tablespoons sesame oil. Mix the ingredients well and massage the oils into your aching feet. Another tried-and-true foot-rub recipe calls for 3 drops lavender oil, 1 drop chamomile oil and 1 drop geranium oil mixed into 2 teaspoons olive oil.

Wear Shoe Inserts For Sore Feet Relief

Shoe inserts, or orthotics, can provide foot pain relief if your discomfort is caused by flat feet or fallen arches. They’re available at medical-supply stores or from a podiatrist.

Wrapping a thick rubber

Try wrapping a thick rubber band around all the toes on one foot. Spread your toes and hold the stretch for five seconds. Repeat ten times to relieve cramped, shoe-bound feet.

You can also scatter a few pencils on the floor, and pick them up with your toes. This little exercise helps relieve foot ache.

Soothe Heel Pain

Heel pain, especially in the morning, may signal plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tough band of tissue that connects your heel bone to the base of your toes. To get relief, stretch the Achilles tendon. Stand about three feet from a wall. Place your hands on the wall and move your right leg forward, knee bent. Keep your left leg straight, with your heel on the floor. You should feel a gentle stretch in your heel and foot arch. Hold for 10 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.