The Arthritis Foundation of Denver is sending representatives to the 2015 Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. on March 23-24, but also provides information, community events, and other help year around for the 25% of Colorado’s population who struggle with this debilitating disease. You can also learn what you can do for your arthritic feet from our staff here at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center.
Studies have shown that massage for arthritis pain improves flexibility and reduces joint pain. Self-massage comes naturally to you—from rubbing a bump on your head to working those stiff shoulder muscles, but here are some tips for using massage to make your feet feel better:
- Use a warm, moist towel on the area for a few minutes, to help relax the muscles.
- If you want, use a mixture of essential oils whose properties may help with arthritis pain, such as eucalyptus, juniper, lavender, marjoram, or rosemary.
- Place the palm of one hand under your arch, and the other over the top of your foot. Pressing up underneath, stroke the top hand firmly back and forth between your toes and ankle. These large strokes help make the muscles malleable.
- Now concentrate on specific areas of pain with shorter strokes on pressure points (like the ball of your foot), along sore muscles, or back and forth in hot spots.
- Finally, cup your heel in one hand and wrap the other around the toes, with your thumb on the ball of the foot. Gently rotate the ankle first one way, and then the other.
As long as you don’t rub hard enough to cause pain, these simple massage techniques can do a lot of good. Do the routine twice a week, maybe before bedtime, for gentle, relaxing relief. It should help alleviate pain, reduce stiffness, and lessen that pins and needles feeling in arthritic feet that can keep you awake at night. In fact, it can feel so good, you may want to do this even if you don’t have the disease!
For more tips to handle the pain of arthritis in your feet and legs, contact Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center by calling (303) 423-2520 or contacting us through our website for an appointment in our Wheat Ridge or Golden, CO, offices. We look forward to working with you to relieve your discomfort and get back to the activities you enjoy.
Photo credit: dcarson924 via freeimages.com
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Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center
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