Foot arch pain

Pain in the arch of your foot is sometimes known as postman’s foot or plantar fasciitis.  It is caused when the plantar fascia gets inflamed.  The plantar fascia is the band of tissue that supports the arch of the foot.  If it gets inflamed, pain in the heel or under the arch of the foot can develop.

The good news is that it probably means you are doing lots of exercise, so congratulations!

Cures

Stretches

Try stretching and massaging the base of the foot.  Cross your bad foot over your other knee.  Use your hand to gently pull back the toes of your bad foot.  Gently massage under your foot using your other hand.

Another good stretch can be done when you are walking up a flight of stairs.  Step up onto a stair with the front part of the foot you want to stretch.  Lift up the other foot, to let the stretching foot take your body weight, and count to ten.  This should stretch out the plantar fascia.  Repeat with the other foot if required.

Exercises

Try doing some simple exercises to build up strength and flexibility in your feet.  Practice picking things up with your feet.  Start with something small like picking a cotton reel off the floor.  Move up to picking up a small towel with your feet.  A good summer game for all the family is to fill a shallow paddling pool with water and then add a bag of marbles.  Compete against each other to see how many marbles you can get out of the paddling pool using only your feet.

Make sure that you stretch your feet before exercising, and try to avoid exercising on hard surfaces.

Rest

Sometimes just giving your muscles a bit of a rest and time to recover can help to keep the problem under control.  Have a look at your routine, and see if you need to build in more rest periods for your feet.  This doesn’t mean you have to give up on exercise.  For example, maybe swap running on a certain day for cycling or swimming.

Strassburg socks

Some people find Strassburg socks, which hold the plantar fascia in a stretched position, can help reduce foot pain.  Orthotic insoles like Orthaheel Sports Orthotic insoles can also be helpful, as can wearing supportive shoes rather than flip flops or going barefoot.

Change your trainers

Research published in Nature suggests that wearing trainers with an upward curling toe could weaken your foot muscles and make you more susceptible to plantar fasciitis.  Have a look at your favourite shoes, and check whether they feature an upward curling toe.  It might be worth trying out a flatter sole, to see if that helps.

Useful links

The Versus Arthritis website has more information here.