When your feet are tense and sore, a self-massage can be truly beneficial. One of the most common causes of heel and foot pain is a disorder called plantar fasciitis. This medical condition causes pain at the bottom of the foot when a ligament connecting the heel and the front of the foot becomes inflamed.
When done correctly, self-massage can bring relief from heel pain in general and plantar fasciitis specifically. If you’d like to give it a go, try these 3 safe foot massage techniques. You can do them yourself.
Related Article: 2 Minute Massage to Ease Foot Pain
You can experience foot pain in either one or both feet. The example below models pain in the right foot, but feel free to do the massage on either the left or right foot or even both feet.
Follow these steps to perform a gentle self-massage with your hands:
1. Sit down on the edge of a bed or chair and lift the right leg, resting it on the left leg so that you’re able to reach the right foot.
2. Start using your thumbs to gently rub the sole of the right foot, moving in circles around the heel. Make at least 3-5 circles in each direction.
3. Applying moderate pressure, move your thumb in a straight line from the heel to the ball of the foot to relax the arches of the feet. Make at least 1-2 minutes back and forth, gradually increasing the pressure. This will loosen up the fascia along the arches of the foot.
4. If you need to apply even more pressure, you can lean in with your body weight. You can also try pointing and flexing your toes as you are massaging the foot.
If performing the massage with your hands isn’t an option, a ball massage offers many of the same benefits. It helps ease tension and pain in the heels and arches of the foot. Many types of balls can be used for this massage, including a tennis ball, a golf ball, or even a dryer ball.
Follow these steps to perform the massage:
1. Sit down in a chair and place a ball under the arch of the affected foot. You can lean forward slightly to control the pressure on the ball.
2. Start moving the foot so that the ball rolls up and down the arch of your foot. Then start moving the foot from side to side.
3. Massage the foot for 2-3 minutes, alternating between the two types of movement and slowly increasing the pressure.
Related Article: It's Amazing What a Reflexology Foot Massage Can Do
This last technique is similar to the ball massage, but it uses a frozen bottle of water. The cooling sensation will help stretch the fascia at the bottom of the foot, calm the feeling of inflammation, and relaxes the foot muscles. It’s great to use in the morning to relax tense muscles.
Follow these steps to perform the massage:
1. Start by sitting on the edge of the bed or a chair.
2. Place a frozen bottle under the sore foot.
3. Start rolling the bottle back and forth. Start with light pressure and smaller strokes, then increase the pressure, massaging continually for 5-10 minutes.
Or view the video below for a detailed demonstration of this technique:
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