Steps to Take Care of Your Feet When Standing All Day
Many people don’t realize the muscles of their legs and feet are constantly working toward meaningful support and other critical functions. Even when you aren’t moving around, your legs and feet are actively putting forth effort. They’re continually adjusting and reacting to their environment to keep your body stable and balanced. Knowing effort is always taking place can lead you to wonder how to take care of your feet when standing all day. In this article, we’ll discuss how to take care of your feet when standing all day, as well as the answers to “what if my foot hurts when I walk?” and “what if my feet hurt all the time?” Having clarity on the proper care in these situations can help you achieve and maintain high overall health.
Taking Care When Standing to Avoid Foot Pain
There are many different occupations that can potentially require you to stand all day on a regular basis. Some of these specific occupations that can require consistent standing include teachers and professors, waiters, chefs and kitchen staff, physicians, veterinarians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, flight attendants, athletic coaches, bartenders, and many more. If your job keeps you on your feet for the majority of shifts, you may end workdays with foot pain. Whether you have painful feet after a 12-hour shift, from standing on concrete all day, or another work scenario, it can be highly impactful for your overall wellness and quality of life to take care of your feet. Learning how to take care of your feet when standing all day is essential for physically demanding work or occupations.
If your occupation or activities require you to consistently walk or stand, you may suffer from painful feet. When you experience painful feet during occupational or other regular activities, it can make all the difference toward achieving and maintaining a high quality of life to learn some ways to take reflective care of your feet. One of the most impactful steps for taking care of your feet in these circumstances is to wear proper shoes. Properly fitting shoes can help you avoid foot pain and other painful or debilitating foot conditions. In addition to wearing properly fitting, supportive shoes that reflect your activities, it’s also important to maintain good posture during work and move around regularly. Don’t lock your knees. Be sure to shift your weight regularly.
What if My Foot Hurts When I Walk?
Even a relatively mild case of existing foot pain has the potential to be fairly debilitating, at least initially. However, a quality diagnosis and treatment plan from your podiatrist can make a significant impact on foot pain. If you’re wondering, “What if my foot hurts when I walk?”, it’s time to take care of your feet to reduce and otherwise eliminate your experienced foot pain. It can be easy to develop foot pain or discomfort from walking and other activities with an injury or overuse. One or both of your feet hurting during one of these activities is a strong indicator you’re overusing your body. However, this pain often responds well to cold therapy and rest. In these situations, it’s best to avoid activities that can worsen your foot pain.
Walking is an essential part of many recreational and daily activities you can participate in. While overuse is one of the most common causes of experienced foot pain, an underlying medical condition or injury can also contribute to your feet hurting when you walk. Some underlying conditions that can contribute to foot pain when you walk include calluses, plantar fasciitis, Morton’s neuroma, metatarsalgia, turf toe, tendonitis, flat feet, tarsal tunnel syndrome, cuboid syndrome, and arthritis. When you have one or more of these conditions that may be contributing to your experience with foot pain when walking, it’s best to consult your podiatrist to have the best care, treatment, and recovery time possible. You should also consult your podiatrist for persistent swelling after two to five days, a lack of pain improvement after a couple of weeks, tingling, numbness, or existing diabetes.
What if My Feet Hurt All the Time?
If you have worse or more persistent foot pain, such as if your feet hurt all the time, there can be a number of different reasons. In addition to your feet hurting all the time due to improperly fitting and supportive shoes and the aforementioned medical conditions, you can also have this consistent foot pain if you have bunions or osteoarthritis. Bunions can result from arthritis, genetics, or wearing the wrong shoes for your activities. These bony bumps that exist at the base of your toes can be highly painful and also have the potential to cause joint swelling and limited mobility. Osteoarthritis can cause your joints to be painful, swollen, and stiff, especially when you first wake up in the morning. If you have severe swelling or pain in your feet or you can’t bear weight on your feet, you may have an infection.
We Can Take Care of Your Feet
Proper, consistent care of your feet, especially when regularly participating in walking, standing, and other physically demanding activities, is vital to maintaining a high quality of life and avoiding foot pain. Our team at the Foot and Ankle Specialists of Illinois is here to help you take care and keep going.
