How Preventive Foot Care Can Relieve Ball Of Foot Pain and Achilles Heel Pain

Stopping foot pain from the start is the ideal way to avoid costly and painful surgical procedures down the road. Even though many people ignore foot pain for years, pretending that the pain doesn’t exist or wishing it would fix itself are not appropriate reactions to the foot pain situation. There are plenty of ways to help your feet stay strong, healthy, and pain-free with only a few changes to your daily routine. Here are a few reasons why metatarsalgia occurs, how to resolve issues with feet such as Achilles tendonitis, and how minor changes, such as using high heel insoles, can help.

Foot Mechanics: The Evils of High-Heeled Shoes and Ball Of Foot Pain

Shoes with high heels can create much trouble for your feet. From the very narrow toe box (the area surrounding the front of the foot) to the angle of incline, these shoes can permanently damage muscles, nerves, and bones in the feet. First, when feet and toes are forced into a narrow shoe, as it does in a high heeled shoe, the mid-foot and toe regions are forced into an extremely narrow space. The ligaments, tendons and muscles are strained into a narrow space that doesn’t allow the foot to function properly. Over time, nerves become squashed, blood flow is restricted to areas of the foot (particularly in the toes) and foot conditions ensue.

How a Foot Massage Can Ease Achilles Tendinitis

Massage is a great method for soothing aching and sore feet. The gentle movement of the muscle fibers increases blood flow to the area. Massage also brings healing, oxygen-rich blood into the whole foot. Once muscles are relaxed, aggravated nerves can begin to stop firing so that pain can be relieved. If muscles and nerve endings are especially aggravated by a certain pair of shoes or an activity, inflammation will occur. In that case, it is advised to use ice packs or frozen vegetables to decrease inflammation. Elevating the feet higher than the heart during this time is also very useful in allowing the extra fluids to be taken away by the lymph system from the foot.

Stretching Can Ease Foot Pain in More Than One Way

Achilles tendonitis can really put a sour note in anyone’s day. The constricton of this vital tendon can cause cramping in the lower leg. It can also be a major contributor to a tear or rip during activity. The way to elongate the tendon’s structure in order to lessen pain is to apply gentle stretching to the area. Sit on the floor with both legs extended in a seated position. Then, gently lean the upper body forward and the hamstring will begin to stretch out. Now that the legs are warmed up, gently coax the feet towards the head to focus the stretch onto your Achilles tendon. Hold the stretch for about 30-45 seconds, rest for about 60-90 seconds, and repeat 5 times.

Ball Of Foot Pain Doesn’t Have to Be a Part of Your Life Anymore

In today’s high-fashion world, lack of willingness to give up these types of shoes is regrettable. However, with the use of orthotics for high heels, metatarsalgia can be relieved with consistent wear. It is advisable to wear shoes with heels no higher than 2″ and with a wider-profile heel such as a wedge to avoid future metatarsalgia. If the end of the day brings foot discomfort, consider switching to flat dress shoes for 3 days out of the week to allow the feet some time for increased blood flow which will help feet heal in between wearing higher heels. Be sure to elongate foot muscles with a stretch and have them massaged to encourage utmost blood flow to the feet.