So you’ve been at work all day, standing for 8 hours & you get home & your feet ache – that’s normal. You’ve been for a walk up Mt Lofty (& back down) & your feet & the rest of your body ache – that’s normal. You’ve just run a marathon & EVERYTHING is sore & painful – well I’ve never run a marathon, but I think that’s normal as well.
But, if you go for a walk on the beach & your feet hurt – that’s not normal. You’ve been shopping for a new pair of shoes & after 20 minutes, your feet are hurting – that’s not normal. You want to get fitter & decide to start walking 20 minutes a day, & your feet & legs hurt – that’s not normal either.
Pain is your bodies way of telling you something isn’t right. Pain that occurs for no obvious reason, or keeps occurring, get’s worse or stops you from enjoying life, IS NOT NORMAL.
On the bottom of your foot you have a group of muscles and tendons, that run from the ball of the foot to the centre of your heels. These muscles and tendons are designed to help support the arch of your foot. But they easily get worn out, stretched & damaged. When you stand or walk, the foot tends to flatten & this can stretch & strain the supporting muscles and tendons, resulting in small micro-tears.
When this happens for long enough, your feet become painful & sore.
What’s the Solution?
The solution depends on how long you have had the problem for or how severe the pain is. If you’ve had pain for more than 2 months or, the pain is worsening you should see a Podiatrist straight away. If the pain has only been there for a short period, then try these simple solutions:
- Check your shoes – shoes that are either old or worn out may be the culprit. Your shoes may also not be supportive enough.
- Rolling your foot on a tennis ball or frozen coke bottle can really help – it’s like a cheap massage.
- Stretch – doing a simple calf stretch can help the foot. Tight calves affect the bottom of the foot so stretch.
Pain is not normal so pay attention to it early so it doesn’t become more serious. And going for a walk should be pleasurable, not painful.
If your in pain, you can make an appointment now by phoning one of our conveniently located Podiatry clinics.
