It's your first day at a new job and you're standing 8 hours a day. After a few weeks, you’ll notice sore soles of the feet and you get tired more easily.
What's wrong?
We often take our feet and legs for granted. They support the weight of our entire body and keep us balanced.
When we stand for long periods of time, our feet can hurt, swell, and cramp.
This is caused by a buildup of fluid and a lack of circulation
Whether you are a factory worker, warehouse worker or healthcare worker, foot pain while standing can be a painful part of the job. When you're standing for 8 hours your feet may start to burn like they’ve been lit on fire.
You’ll have sore soles of the feet.
This is a fairly common problem and it can be witnessed across different industries. Oil riggers, restaurant workers, retail workers, healthcare and warehouse workers experience this problem.
How do they cope with sore soles of the feet? Many of them adapt by toughening up while taking other measures like foot baths or leg elevation to relieve the pain.
Recovering between shifts is important because your job depends on your performance. As you progress through your shift your feet and legs may become numb.
How These Tips Can Help You
The tips I will share with you come from people experiencing foot pain while standing. Every person is different and people experiment to figure this out.
Ideas in this article will work for most people. We’d like to hear from you.
Let us know what’s working and what’s not working.
Foot conditions run the gamut, from sore feet to burning neuropathic pain to blisters. And different conditions require different approaches. For example, if you suffer from Plantar Fasciitis, orthotic inserts may work well. Augment this with calf stretches to strengthen the surrounding muscles of the lower leg. Below we’ll discuss sure fire ways to protect your feet from the most common ailments.
Tools and Techniques Relieve Foot Pain
Shoes
We suggest choosing a good shoe. It may sound pretty obvious but, you’ll need to look at this as an investment. It depends on the type of work you are doing along with the policy of the business.
Aim to replace your shoes every 4-6 months. A few good examples of shoes that support the feet well are Dansko, ECCO, Keens (for chefs), Crocs (the shoe), Sketcher’s Shape Ups, Justin Boots, Doc Martens, Red Wing and SAS. The shoe should be specific to the type of work you are doing.
Look at this as a multi-modal approach to preventing foot pain. A good shoe has the necessary design for standing and supporting the rest of your body for long periods of time. These shoes have been tested in the field.
Shoes should have arch support to reduce the constant contact with the floor. Again, consider the type of work you are doing when deciding on a shoe.
For some people Danskos may be painful so go in and try on a shoe like this.
Socks
Compression socks keep your legs from swelling and the ensuing burning sensation that you may feel. Invest in a quality pair of compression socks that support a wide range of feet. Compression socks have been used for activities like travel for a reason.
A few sock companies have designed these socks so that they will be available to people that really need them.
Care Remote’s socks come in a 10-12 mmHg pressure and an 18-20 mmHg pressure. This is how much the sock squeezes the leg in order to restore circulation.
Standing on a hard floor for long hours is hard. You can flatten a cardboard box or invest in a floor mat.
Foot Anatomy
The arch of your foot may be high, low or flat. Other variables like hammer toes, blister prone feet may be present.
Shoes, insoles, gel inserts, supporting garments like socks or even back support will only add to supporting your posture. And you will be much more comfortable.
Posture
Good posture goes a long way in increasing your stamina. When you’re standing, pay attention to how you are standing. Lean forward and put 60% of your weight on your toes. As you bend at your knees and relax your hips~ move your pelvis forward a bit.
Experiment with your posture, as you will be performing repetitive movements for long periods of time. Your body will begin to adapt.
Working Out
Staying physically fit will aid in keeping you more resilient to foot and leg pain. Workout 3 x a week, go for walks and break it up.
Orthotics
Orthotics are a critical piece of the pie. A good pair of orthotics along with the other tips here could mean that you’ll no longer have foot pain.
Massage
Invest in massage of the feet and legs. This one falls into the category of self-care but, it’s essential that you have a foot massage to relax the tissue in your legs and feet. Other options here are rolling your foot over a tennis bottle.
Fatigue Mats
Fatigue mats can mean instant relief.
Conclusion
There’s an almost endless amount of things you can do to relieve the pain. From our research insoles, the right shoes and socks have the most impact on working on your feet all day.