Reviving Your Feet

Pretty summer shoes have their ugly side: heel pain and foot cramps. But in a recent survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association, 51 percent of women said they were willing to wear those cute strappy sandals and slides no matter how much the shoes may hurt. Fortunately for these hardy soles, simple remedies, such as massage and strengthening exercises, can give feet sweet relief.

Massage

How It Helps: “Like a deep-tissue massage anywhere on the body, kneading the feet will help relieve cramps, knotting, and tightness,” explains podiatrist Marlene Reid. Massage improves circulation and can alleviate heel pain caused by a tense or inflamed plantar fascia, the band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot to the heel.

How to Do It

Coat your palms with a thin layer of lotion or balm infused with a circulation-boosting ingredient, such as peppermint, pine oil, camphor, or rosemary.

Using long stroking motions, slowly massage the sole of one foot with both thumbs, starting behind the toes and moving toward the heel. Apply extra pressure along the arch and at the ball of the foot, two places that are especially prone to tightness.

Grip the foot with both hands and gently twist your hands from side to side as if you’re wringing a towel. “This may help remove the pain that can develop after hours of standing,” says spa owner Barbara Close.

End the massage by gently pulling and releasing each toe. Repeat on the other foot.

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Strengthening Exercises

How They Help: “Oftentimes people have pain in their feet and ankles because they don’t have sufficient coordination and strength in their feet,” says exercise physiologist Mike Siemens. But doing simple strengthening exercises every day, he says, can help enhance the neurological pathways between the brain and the muscles, reducing your likelihood of developing foot and ankle troubles. That means less pain in your arches and legs, too.

How to Do It

You’ll need a small towel and a wooden or tile floor. Stand barefoot on the floor and place the towel in front of you, with its edge underneath your toes.

Scrunch up your toes to grip the towel, pulling it toward you, then release; repeat until most of the towel is bunched up under your toes.

Then reverse the motion to push the towel away from you. “This provides excellent strengthening for the muscles on the underside of the foot, particularly those in the arch,” says Siemens.

Repeat the entire exercise. As your feet get stronger, you should be able to complete the sequence three or four times.

Rolling your bare foot over a golf or tennis ball can also stretch and strengthen foot muscles while relieving tension.