Although foot pain can be an ongoing concern that causes limitations in your daily activities, it is often easy to manage in the beginning. There are different approaches you can use to help manage most types of foot pain.

Aim For Comfort

The easiest way to improve foot pain is to focus on comfort when purchasing shoes. Whenever possible, wearing sneakers is often a better option than other types of shoes because sneakers are built for different types of support. If you need other options for footwear, be sure to select shoes that have a sturdy sole, and not shoes that are completely flat or soft. Once you have comfortable shoes, you can enhance them by purchasing different types of padding. You might need more padding on the soles or heel of your foot, depending on where the pain is located. In a pinch, a rolled piece of cotton or bandage can be used to help cushion your toes.

Reduce Inflammation Sparingly

The retail pain relievers recommended for foot pain will be anti-inflammatory medicines. Not only are they helpful in reducing pain, but they can also ease some swelling. Unfortunately, these medications are not designed to be used all day for many days in a row. You will need to offset your use of pain relievers with other treatments, such as numbing creams or temperature therapy. Without a diagnosis, it will be difficult to determine the exact source of pain. Some people will find soaking their feet in cool water is soothing and helps reduce any swelling, whereas others might find cold only exacerbates their pain. Generally, if there are any arthritic changes in your feet, cold will only make them hurt more.

Discuss Injections

If you have a foot condition that warrants medical intervention, your doctor might recommend a steroid injection. These injections may be done for arthritis or tendinitis, and helps reduce inflammation. Your doctor might want you to engage in physical therapy if the underlying problem is tendinitis that could be alleviated with proper exercises to strengthen the muscles in your calf. Steroid injections cannot be done frequently, since they might cause bone loss. If the occasional steroid injection is not enough to help the problem, your doctor might recommend surgery. Sometimes correcting deformities, repairing tendons, or fusing joints can alleviate chronic foot pain.

Trying different self-care approaches for foot pain can help many people keep their pain at tolerable levels. When self-care alone is not effective, speaking with a doctor, like those at Advanced Foot Clinic, will help you determine the cause of pain and find the appropriate treatment.