The summer and hot weather is upon us!!! Now is the time of year that more and more folks will ditch their conventional footwear and opt for sandals and flip flops. Although many manufacturers are producing more ergonomically sound designs, the difference in support offered is enough to cause issues with many patients and their ailments; particularly foot pain. If you desire more summer friendly footwear but contend with the discomfort and pain that comes with wearing flip flops or sandals all summer long here are a few tips to aid in alleviating your foot pain this summer.
Obviously you’ll want to go with the most ergonomically appropriate design for you. Whether you have flat feet, normal arches, or high arches you’ll want to take care to purchase sandals and flip flops with the most beneficial/appropriate design for your feet.
If you have pretty standard sandals or flip flips that don’t have any,or many, ergonomic features you may want to opt for gel insoles that have an adhesion to help them stick to the bottom of your sandal.
Stretch out your plantar fascia by propping your toes on the bottom of the wall or the bottom step, count to 10, repeat 10 times. Do this for both feet even if only one is bothering you.
Use a frozen golf ball to work on any tender spots along the foot. Focus on tender spots/problem areas and hold a firm pressure (nothing that hurts you more though) on them for relief. You can also do this with a frozen water bottle to roll across the entire bottom of the foot and roll it continuously. Make sure that you have already stretched out the fascia of the bottom of the foot, as previously mentioned in step 3, BEFORE you do this and NOT AFTER.
Foam roll your calves to help with muscular involvement that may be affecting your gait and causing increased foot discomfort as well. If you have tight or sore calves this will affect your gait and can contribute to putting more strain on your feet. Combined with the potential decreased support in flip flops this could make foot discomfort worse. So get rollin!!!
