When you’re on your feet all day, the first things to complain are often your feet. The poor things work very hard, don’t they?
With this in mind, how to deal with foot pain after work might be in the forefront of your mind. We are here to help you learn how to do this most effectively! Read on…
How To Deal With Foot Pain After Work
When you get home after a long day and your feet hurt, it can really impact the whole evening, so you will want to deal with it as soon as possible.
- Rest immediately, and try to keep your feet elevated to allow the blood to drain away from them, reducing swelling.
- Place an ice pack, or even a bag of frozen peas, on the painful area and leave it there for between 20 minutes and 3 hours.
- Gently stretch and rotate the foot and ankle area – this may help ease the pain, and can also help to strengthen the muscles.
- Use over the counter painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to help you to manage the pain and reduce inflammation.
- Soak the feet in a bowl of warm water with Epsom salts. The magnesium in this will really help with the pain.
- Next time you have to go to work, avoid wearing high heeled shoes, and ensure that your shoes are a good fit, with plenty of space for toes and the width of your feet.
- Try using insoles or soft pads inside your shoes, to give your feet a bit of cushioning and protection.
- If the pain refuses to subside for a long time, it may be worth a visit to your doctor to check if it is nerve damage that is causing the problem.
How To Walk Properly To Avoid Foot Pain
Walking is one of those things that we just take for granted, but would you believe it – there are better and worse ways of doing so?
If you want to end the day with feet that you can still walk on without feeling agony, have a look into how to walk properly.
It’s fairly simple – you just need to think “heel to toe.” Step forward, taking care to land on the heel of your foot. Roll forward onto the balls of your feet, then raise the heel and push with your big toe.
Take care not to take enormous strides when you are walking, as this can put a strain on your muscles and joints.
Keep an eye on your posture too, as this can affect how your feet feel – stand tall, back straight, neck in line with your shoulders, and eyes facing forwards.
Avoid leaning forwards or backwards when you walk, as this can also put strain on your muscles – yes, even in your legs and feet!
Practising good walking techniques and ensuring your posture is as good as it can be will really help you to avoid foot pain.
This article shows you in detail the best way to walk to avoid foot pain.
How To Ease Aching Feet
Sore feet at the end of the day is the worst, isn’t it? Thankfully there are a good few things you can do to ease the pain.
- Put your feet up. This age-old remedy is great for easing foot pain, as it helps the blood to drain the blood away into the rest of the body.
- Use ice packs to reduce swelling. Ice can also help to reduce pain, and will help to fix the problem. Just keep it on the affected area for as long as you can!
- Take painkillers. Over the counter pain relievers can not only reduce the pain, but can also help to reduce the inflammation.
- Ensure your shoes fit well. Shoes that are too small or too big can cause your feet lots of problems, so make sure that you buy the correct fit.
- Check your walk. You read that right – the way that you walk can affect whether you suffer from foot pain, so it’s worth making sure that your posture and gait are correct.
Taking some time out at the end of a long day to give your feet some TLC can really help you to reduce pain and problems the following day.
This video explains why your feet might be achy at the end of the day:
What Is The Best Anti-Inflammatory For Foot Pain?
If you have severe foot pain and you are finding it hard to function, you may wish to consider some sort of anti inflammatory to help with the pain.
Oral NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen are pretty much the best things you can take – they will not only reduce the pain but will also help with the inflammation that contributes to it.
Follow the directions for dosage, and don’t be tempted to take more than the stated does, as this can cause you more problems in the long run.
Ice is another great anti inflammatory; you can either use whatever you have in the freezer, or invest in a gel pack that can be frozen.
Apply the cold thing (whether it is frozen peas or a dedicated product) to the painful area and leave it in place for a good few hours for maximum benefit.
Topical analgesics are very helpful at removing pain and reducing inflammation; these are easily found in most pharmacies.
As with NSAIDs, make sure that you follow the dosage instruction carefully – these can be absorbed into the body through the skin, and you don’t want to overdose.
Visiting your doctor may be an option if none of the above methods work – some types of foot pain do not respond to over the counter painkillers and may need nerve blockers or steroids.
Turmeric is a fantastic natural anti-inflammatory; if you mix it with black pepper the bioavailable compounds are more easily absorbed.
Being on your feet all day can be really hard on them, so it’s important to know how to deal with foot pain after work.
We hope that we have given you some ideas on how to deal with this unpleasant problem – and if not, at least some ways of making it better.
