Thread: Sore feet?

I have an odd phenomenon that I notice when getting up in the morning, and I'm wondering if any of you have a similar experience.

I have fairly flexible ankles and high insteps - I am one of those people whose relaxed foot will practically form a continuous straight line down from my shin if I'm sitting on the floor with my leg outstretched. And I walk a lot and sit at a desk a lot. I've noticed in the past few months that when I get up in the morning my feet ache when I first put them on the floor to walk around. More specifically, the ache is in the front of my ankle. It doesn't last long, though I do find I get a similar feeling of "acheyness" late at night just sitting there. It almost feels like they should be swollen, but they're not.

It's not plantar fascitis, I don't think. Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I have an odd phenomenon that I notice when getting up in the morning, and I'm wondering if any of you have a similar experience.

I have fairly flexible ankles and high insteps - I am one of those people whose relaxed foot will practically form a continuous straight line down from my shin if I'm sitting on the floor with my leg outstretched. And I walk a lot and sit at a desk a lot. I've noticed in the past few months that when I get up in the morning my feet ache when I first put them on the floor to walk around. More specifically, the ache is in the front of my ankle. It doesn't last long, though I do find I get a similar feeling of "acheyness" late at night just sitting there. It almost feels like they should be swollen, but they're not.

It's not plantar fascitis, I don't think. Any thoughts?

Are you sure it's not plantar fascitis? It sounds exactly like it from what I experienced. Usually the pain settles in from inactivity, then goes away once you start walking around.

I would say check with a sports Dr. They would have the best advice. When I went in thinking I had PF, I found out that I also had tibial tendinitis on top of PF. No fun. ,f::

Well, PF is supposed to affect the sole. It's not my sole. I will get it checked though, for sure.

It's highly likely I need orthotics, I've been told in the past that I'd need them eventually.

I've been dealing with something very similar lately. It seems to be related to the mattress I'm sleeping on, weirdly enough. At my husband's family's lake cottage, with a sh*tty futon mattress, no problem. But here at home, I get up and the sides of my feet ache until I walk around for awhile. This is new.

I'm calling "aging" on this, in my case. I have a lot of arthritis in my family.

AGING? Say it ain't so!

I have arthritis in my family too. *resists*

You bet me to the ounch because I was thinking tonight how I could start this thread! I've been getting that a lot too and I think the weaqther affects it too. Sometimes stretching exercises help but if it gets really bad, I have to take ibuprofen.

You don't have plantar - that's in the back of the heel. If anybody wants to disagree, I'm outta here! <FLOUNCES OFF>

LOL - I was just teaching a class on chakras tonight -- specifically the root chakra, which governs the hips, legs and feet and is connected to feelings of security, among other things.

We were joking about how podiatrist's offices around the world are going to be clogged up with people having foot issues as fear and insecurity about money manifest in the legs and feet. How funny to come home and find this thread!

Sorry, didn't mean to get all new-agey on you there. Return to your disccussion.

yuck I'm facing the same problem at the moment. Mine is due to standing for 8 hours (or more depending if I do extra hours) at work. Plus, I love to walk on my tippy toes and hate to wear shoes at home. What I've been doing is simply soaking my feet in very warm water. I've been doing it for a week and it has helped tremendously.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

We were joking about how podiatrist's offices around the world are going to be clogged up with people having foot issues as fear and insecurity about money manifest in the legs and feet. How funny to come home and find this thread!

Wow. *ponders personal insecure feelings*

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I have an odd phenomenon that I notice when getting up in the morning, and I'm wondering if any of you have a similar experience.

I have fairly flexible ankles and high insteps - I am one of those people whose relaxed foot will practically form a continuous straight line down from my shin if I'm sitting on the floor with my leg outstretched. And I walk a lot and sit at a desk a lot. I've noticed in the past few months that when I get up in the morning my feet ache when I first put them on the floor to walk around. More specifically, the ache is in the front of my ankle. It doesn't last long, though I do find I get a similar feeling of "acheyness" late at night just sitting there. It almost feels like they should be swollen, but they're not.

It's not plantar fascitis, I don't think. Any thoughts?

Do you type or work your hands a lot? Also, does your back ache when sitting? Lower back - middle back? Hip area?

Do you type or work your hands a lot?

Duh.

Also, does your back ache when sitting? Lower back - middle back? Hip area?

No. I do have some historical issues with low back pain though and if I get pain in my back, that's where it's going to be. I get tension in the hip as well, probably partly down to sitting a lot. I am aware that my upper spine may actually be to blame, since I sit and type and have a prodigious bosom, and am slightly hunched even when in excellent posture. My mother has two upper vertebrae fused at the base of her neck and it's entirely possible I do as well - we have the same "neck forward" look.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Duh.



No. I do have some historical issues with low back pain though and if I get pain in my back, that's where it's going to be. I get tension in the hip as well, probably partly down to sitting a lot. I am aware that my upper spine may actually be to blame, since I sit and type and have a prodigious bosom, and am slightly hunched even when in excellent posture. My mother has two upper vertebrae fused at the base of her neck and it's entirely possible I do as well - we have the same "neck forward" look.

The reason I'm asking is that the area you mention is the reflex area in reflexology for the wrist, groin and lower back...amongst other things. The front ankle area of the foot also covers the hip and pelvic area. Often, pain in these parts of the body affect the foot and vice versa.

I had a client with bunions. The one on her right foot had been removed. The one on her left foot was bending her big toe way over to the left. This gave her pains in her neck on the left side. The reflex area for the neck is located under the fleshy pad of the big toe... the first joint. In her case, this was twisted and caused her neck pain.

You could possibly benefit from a course of reflexology sessions.

Iiiiiinteresting! One of my former students has trained in reflexology. I should give her a call.

move your feet in circles and flex and point your feet before you get out of bed. This will stretch your leg muscles. If the skin on your lower legs feels tight, your legs could be swollen. It may also be a sign of low circulation, so the moving the feet around before you get out of bed should help. If this happens a lot I would elevate the feet on a pillow or folded blanket while you sleep.

Originally Posted by jasani

move your feet in circles and flex and point your feet before you get out of bed. This will stretch your leg muscles. If the skin on your lower legs feels tight, your legs could be swollen. It may also be a sign of low circulation, so the moving the feet around before you get out of bed should help. If this happens a lot I would elevate the feet on a pillow or folded blanket while you sleep.

Adding to this and the reflexology...
Naturopathic Hydrotherapy can be used to increase circulation to the area through the thermal effects of water. Very simple and can be done at home. Basically, hot water opens the circulatory beds in the area, and cold water shuts them down. Combining the two in a proper sequence causes your own circulation to act as a pump, bringing in nutrients and blood for healing when the circulation is open, and flushing away metabolic byproducts when the circulation pumps closed.

Routine:
Get two nice big plastic buckets (big enough for both feet at once and tall enough for the water to cover your ankles). Fill one with cool water (cold enough to feel chilly but NOT ice-cold). Fill the other with hot water as hot as you can stand it (be VERY careful not so hot as to burn yourself).

1. Put both feet in the hot for 3 minutes, making sure the water covers the ankles.
2. Switch both feet IMMEDIATELY to the cold, stay for ONLY 30 seconds.
3. Switch both feet IMMEDIATELY to the hot, stay for 3 minutes.
4. Switch back to the cold, 30 seconds.
5. Switch back to the hot, 3 minutes.
6. End with last 30 sec in the COLD. (VIP!!!)

...towel dry and do gentle rotations and flexion/extension of the ankles for a minute or two. Repeat this routine at least TWICE preferrably THREE times a day for 1-3 weeks.

Hope this helps!
Naida
(ND '11 candidate)

Originally Posted by Lauren_

LOL - I was just teaching a class on chakras tonight -- specifically the root chakra, which governs the hips, legs and feet and is connected to feelings of security, among other things.

We were joking about how podiatrist's offices around the world are going to be clogged up with people having foot issues as fear and insecurity about money manifest in the legs and feet. How funny to come home and find this thread!

Feelings of insecurity, huh? I think I'll just stay in bed in the morning from now on!! ..l;,

neat thread. I have foot pain too. And shins, ankles, and wrists. Mine is arthritis. And not all arthritis waits to pop up with age. My mother began to develop arthritis when she was around 18 or 19. Mostly I just get the arthritic aches when the barometric pressure changes. I can just about predict a front moving through :-)

I too have ankle/foot pain. I've been assuming that it is from carrying too much weight to go shimmying around on releve as much as I do. I had plantar fas. a couple of years ago and got acupuncture which helped. My acupuncturist also advised me to absolutely baby my feet, no bare feet, wear soft shoes, and that did work. this doesn't feel like PF though, this is in my ankles.

In addition to at last putting my butt on a diet, I feel like I would like to do excercises to strengthen my ankles, anyone know of good ones

or, maybe I'm just getting old. I'm going to try that hot water/cold water thing.

thanks for bringing up this issue!

Yeah, hot/cold therapy is a good idea for circulation problems.

Here are some ankle exercises:
Ankle Exercises for Ankle Injuries

Using a wobble board or rocker board can help strengthen your ankles and all the muscles of your lower legs, as well as your core. Here's one company that sells them, just as an example of what they look like:

Balance Boards from Fitter First

and here's a collection of exercises:

Wobble Board, wobble balance board exercises.

Yeah, both core and ankles are fairly strong though and while I'm big, I'm not *that* big. I really don't think it's a weakness problem. Moreover it's unrelated to me having weight on them, my feet don't hurt when I've been up walking, doing stuff etc. Only before I get moving. Could well be the start of arthritis. It really does feel like fluid buildup, kind of.

I've used the wobble board and noticed that my ankles got bigger in size. Maybe it works differently for others but that's what happened for me.

I have tendonitis in my ankles & have the same problem - they're stiff and achey when I wake up and it hurts to bend them & walk across the room. For awhile, the pain would start shortly after I went to bed.

I've been doing a lot of foot & ankle strengthening exercises & have definitely seen an improvement.

If it's been bugging you for awhile & not getting any better, you should visit the doctor...

Originally Posted by loloup

I too have ankle/foot pain. I've been assuming that it is from carrying too much weight to go shimmying around on releve as much as I do. I had plantar fas. a couple of years ago and got acupuncture which helped. My acupuncturist also advised me to absolutely baby my feet, no bare feet, wear soft shoes, and that did work. this doesn't feel like PF though, this is in my ankles.

In addition to at last putting my butt on a diet, I feel like I would like to do excercises to strengthen my ankles, anyone know of good ones

or, maybe I'm just getting old. I'm going to try that hot water/cold water thing.

thanks for bringing up this issue!

I used to wake up each morning with the stiffest feet you could imagine. I suffered for ages....then I lost 2 stone and the pain went along with the weight. I now skip out of bed....hurrah!!!!!

I have recently been stretching my feet like a ballerina more and it's helping a lot, even better than ibuprofen. I figure it helps with all my other sore muscles, so I've been doing it with my ankles too and there's been a big improvement.

I'm not a doctor, and everybody's body is different, but losing 10 pounds helped me with the same problem. I'm a retail manager so I'm walking, stooping, and standing ALL day in dress shoes. After a long day my feet and ankles are always tired, but I didn't get pain until I'd sit for a long period of time or when I'd get out of bed in the morning. I'd limp around for a few minutes and then feel fine. When I lost 10 pounds I didn't have a problem; when I gained it back I did. Now that I've lost those 10 pounds again, I no longer have the problem. It's quite possible I was just asking my feet and ankles to carry a few pounds too many.

While I am fat, I am not medically overweight and I find the problem is exacerbated by *sitting all day*. I don't have anything like the same issues when I walk more. So I think it might actually be Grad Student Syndrome. I'm sitting at a desk 12 hours a day sometimes.

All this talk about foot pain is starting to make my feet ache.....w.:

As a chronic PF sufferer, it sounds like the classic PF symtoms. Aching feet and sometimes pain in the heel upon rising.

I have high arches and instep and get into the most troube PF wise if I wear sandals too much, walk on hard surfaces without good arch support, don't stretch hamstrings, calves, and Achilles tendon well enough.

Here is what helps me. I put orthotics in my shoes. For years I used the ones that were made for me by a podiatrist--until puppies chewed one up! But then I discovered some good store bought ones that work too. Spenco is a brand that was recommended by a local dance shop owner. I normally wear ballet slippers with a thin insert but when my PF flares up I wear dance sneakers that have a neoprene arch hugging piece or jazz shoes with a half sole orthotic. And I wrap my arches. And lots of stretching. Foot soaks and massage. It all helps.

Souzan