Rolling to Reduce Foot Pain
Chances are if you put weight on your feet during the day, you get tension or even pain in your feet from time to time. Some people experience it daily! Depending on your weight, foot fall, and daily habits, this pain can become debilitating. You can work out trouble spots with a ball! A great introduction to rolling the bottom of your feet can be done with a golfball, racquet ball, or superball.
- Have yourself seated upright where your knees are at approximately 90 degrees. Using the side image as a guide, start with the “knuckles” of the foot and roll in little circles for about
ten seconds, hitting each knuckle slowly, applying as much pressure as feels comfortable. Lastly, circular roll the heel. You may feel some “crunching” — as long as it isn’t painful, continue with the pressure that gets a little crunch. - From your circles, slowly move to the pink arrow directions, knuckles to heel, on the outside landing pad of your foot as well as your arch. Feel for the crunch, but again, don’t go for extreme pain.
- After feeling the crunching lessen on your pink arrows, move to the blue arrows going side to side on the foot. Play with trouble spots that feel more tender — they and their surrounding areas need the most attention.
- Do the other foot!
Rolling your feet daily will help the muscles in your feet relax. Rolling is especially helpful for those with plantar fasciitis or recovering from a broken foot (after the all clear from the doctor.) For those working or studying at a desk, you can end up spending a good half hour rolling a foot while you continue your daily tasks.
Some doctors feel that just applying pressure to the base of the foot with a ball is helpful without using a rolling technique. Find what works best for your body and gets the best results.
If you continue to feel pain or the pain worsens after trying this move for more than a week, it may be time to check in with the podiatrist about your foot health.
note: I am not a doctor or a physical therapist. They are your best source to diagnose what is up with your foot.
This article originally appeared in Haddad Training’s September 2014 newsletter.
