How to Relax, Soothe Sore Feet

There are more than 1,700 nerve endings in your feet, so it’s no wonder that 75% of the population experiences foot pain from time to time. Yet, most people don’t give their tootsies a second thought until their feet are sore and hurting.

When to get checked: Home care can help with everyday soreness, but seek medical advice if you have sudden severe pain, swelling, redness or warmth, a wound that is not healing, fever, loss of feeling, or persistent burning, numbness or tingling—especially if you have diabetes or poor circulation.

But a few minutes of pampering your feet will deliver countless hours of standing, walking and dancing pleasure. So, tantalise your toes with peppermint and swathe your soles in strawberries. It’s easy to be your feet’s best friend.

Margi Miles, who has worked for 20 years as a licensed massage therapist, reflexologist and pedicurist, points out that happy feet are not only pleasant to live with — but a necessary component of good health. Ms Miles says, “Most people just don’t understand the connection of the feet to rest of the body.”

Note: The tips below are for comfort care and basic foot hygiene. They are not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment of infections, nerve disorders, or other medical conditions. For medical guidance on foot pain and when to seek care, see: NHS: Foot pain.

Although you could heel-and-toe it to a foot treatment centre, there are plenty of things people commonly do right at home. Here are some of her favourite ideas:

Soak Your Feet

For tired, aching feet, Ms Miles describes a soothing soak with essential oils. People often add rosemary, peppermint, lemon, wintergreen or eucalyptus oils to warm water for a brief foot soak as a way to refresh the senses.

If essential oils don’t fit the budget, facial cleanser is sometimes used for a short dip, thanks to camphor oil, a key ingredient noted for its scent and cleansing properties.

Foot Massage

After soaking, some people massage their feet with rosemary olive oil or with grapeseed oil infused with grated fresh ginger, then put on clean cotton socks and rest.

Ms Miles offers one word of caution: “No mineral oil! The molecules are so huge… they actually block the pores and dehydrate the skin because water can’t be absorbed.”

A Berry-Good Rub

A slightly exotic and indulgent approach people sometimes try is a strawberry mash made by blending together eight strawberries with two tablespoons of olive oil (or safflower oil) and one teaspoon of kosher salt, rubbing it on the feet briefly, then rinsing and drying.

Salt Your Feet

Another common pick-me-up mentioned by Ms Miles is using sea salt in a bath or shower as an exfoliating scrub from heel to toe, followed by a mint lotion. Some people also add a favorite essential oil to the salt.

Deodorising Smelly Feet

Chronic sweaty or smelly feet are often related to sweat, footwear, and bacteria on the skin. Miles mentions hydration, periodic soaks in Epsom salts and warm water, and scented oils or lotions as measures people often try for freshness.

Scrubbing tops and bottoms of feet with a small foot brush in daily showers is also commonly done.

Conquering Calluses

Plagued by calluses? Ms. Miles notes that some people prefer a waterproof foot file because pumice stones soften when wet.

Razors can cut the feet severely, so they are best avoided. Oil rubs are often used to soften the skin.

Eliminating Fungus

This common infection seems to cause the most embarrassment. “People are horrified and wonder how they got it,” says Ms Miles. “I tell them it’s just a spore. You got it from the spa, your partner, your kids. We’re covered in spores!”

People sometimes try home care routines involving warm soaks, vinegar, careful nail trimming, and over-the-counter creams, but persistent problems are usually discussed with a health professional.

Help for Nerve Disorders of the Feet

Do you suffer from chronic foot or leg pain? Burning, numbness, or tingling? Always have hot or cold feet? You may be one of the hundreds of thousands of Australians experiencing a nerve disorder called peripheral neuropathy.

The condition is not a problem with your head. It is a medical condition affecting your feet, sometimes hands, and occasionally muscles. Three types of peripheral neuropathy exist.

The first type is called sensory neuropathy and is the most common form. Sensory neuropathy produces various pain symptoms such as aching, burning, stabbing, or tingling. This type of nerve damage can be further classified as large nerve fibre (numbness and tingling) or small nerve fibre (temperature and pain).

Autonomic neuropathy involves your body’s regulation of involuntary or semi-voluntary functions such as the control of inner organs and sweating. These patients may have excessively dry or wet skin on their feet.

Lastly, there is motor neuropathy, which describes the alteration in the function of muscles and includes reflexes. Crooked toes, weakness, and instability may be manifestations of a motor neuropathy.

Interestingly, some people present with combinations of different types of peripheral neuropathy. Once neuropathy is suspected, finding the cause can be challenging.

Causes of peripheral neuropathy

Diabetes is responsible for the greatest number of neuropathy cases. This results when elevated blood sugars result in damage to the outer lining of a nerve. Once this damage, called demyelination, has occurred, the nerve starts to misfire.

Another common cause of peripheral neuropathy is alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking is not necessarily required to develop nerve injury. Some patients drank moderately over an extended period of time.

Many back or spine conditions can also contribute to this syndrome. In this case, pressure on the nerves where they exit the spine are compressed and damaged.

A comprehensive list of all possible causes is too lengthy for this discussion but idiopathic neuropathy is certainly a common diagnosis, which means of unknown origin.

Neuropathy treatments

Fortunately, a range of medical treatments exists and many people improve with appropriate care.

Care commonly involves medical assessment and, where needed, medications or other therapies recommended by clinicians.

Other approaches sometimes discussed include nerve blocks, nerve stimulation, magnets, acupuncture, and psychotherapy.

On the horizon, new therapies may use nerve growth factors, stem cell technology, and experimental drugs. The main message here is that help is available for those who seek professional care.