Waking up with pain in your feet can be common but you don’t have to tolerate the pain, there are some easy at-home treatments that may help alleviate your morning foot pain.
Morning foot pain can present as stiffness, soreness, or tenderness and can make getting out of bed or walking around difficult. In this article, we’ll explore some of the causes of morning foot pain, look at some symptoms you may experience, and dive into three treatments to help you start your day pain-free.
What is Morning Foot Pain?
Picture this: it’s 7am and your alarm has just gone off. You’re well rested and ready to start the day, but you feel a twinge in your foot as you try to get out of bed. It’s your regular morning foot pain.
Morning foot pain can occur when you first get out of bed and can last from a few minutes to an hour or more, depending on various factors. Morning foot pain is often accompanied by stiffness or tenderness, can affect any part of the foot including the heels, arches, or the side of your foot and can make movement painful and uncomfortable.
What Causes Foot Pain in the Morning?
You may be asking “Why do my feet hurt in the morning?” Some common causes of morning foot pain include arthritis, injuries from sports or exercise, or plantar fasciitis. Improper footwear may also be a cause of morning foot pain, especially if you have a job where you’re on your feet all day or partake in exercise like walking, running, or hiking.
Arthritis as a Cause of Morning Foot Pain
Arthritis can cause inflammation in your foot and can lead to pain in the toes, arches, or heels of your foot[1]. One cause of foot pain is osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, which occurs when the joint cartilage deteriorates over time. Foot pain may also be caused by rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition, which happens when the body's immune system attacks the joints.
Foot pain from Injuries
Some sports or forms of exercise like running or hiking can strain the muscles and tissues in your feet and/or heel which leads to soreness and stiffness in the morning. Any activity that involves you being on your feet more than you are used to, or working your feet harder than you’re used to, can lead you to waking up with foot pain, soreness, and stiffness the following morning.
Plantar Fasciitis and Morning Foot Pain
Plantar fasciitis is a condition that refers to the inflammation of the plantar fascia, the band of tissue that runs along the sole of the foot[2]. Plantar fasciitis is an extremely common condition that causes tightness and sharp heel pain in the morning or when taking the steps of your day.
Morning Foot Pain due to Improper Footwear
Wearing the proper footwear is important when looking to prevent morning foot pain[3]. Shoes that lack support or cushioning such as high heels or flip-flops, as well as improper shoes for physical activity, like non-supportive sneakers or ill-fitting walking shoes, can be a significant source of foot pain in the morning.
At-Home Remedies for Morning Foot Pain
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Ensure Proper Footwear and Arch Support
To help offer morning foot pain relief consider making small lifestyle changes, like ensuring you are wearing proper footwear. Wear good quality shoes with good cushioning and arch support to reduce foot pain.
Getting properly fitted for running or walking shoes, avoiding walking barefoot on hard floors and surfaces, and getting comfy everyday shoes with good arch support can be easy ways to prevent morning foot pain.
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Stretch and Exercise Your Feet at Home
Incorporating gentle stretching and foot exercises at home can help reduce your morning foot pain[4]. Stretching can help “loosen” the plantar fascia and relieve tension or stress in muscles. Having good mobility in your feet can help you wake up free from foot pain.
Some exercises that you can do easily at home include:
- Toe stretches: curl your toes into a ball, then stretch them out as far as possible.
- Ball rolling: roll a small ball, like a golf ball, under the arch of your foot until you feel relief.
- Heel raise: stand up straight with your feet flat on the floor, rise onto the balls of your feet, hold briefly, and then lower your heels back down.
Pro tip: applying a topical treatment like MEDISTIK ahead of stretching can help prime and prepare your muscles for movement.
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Use Ice and Heat Therapy to Treat your Morning Foot Pain
Hot and cold treatments are a simple way to provide morning foot pain relief at home. Heat therapy can promote circulation to help with joint pain and stiffness, while cold therapy, or ice therapy, can help to numb pain while reducing inflammation.
To use hot or cold treatments at home, apply a heat or ice pack to the impacted area for 15-20 minutes, or submerge your feet in hot or cold water for 15-20 minutes. You can alternate the treatments and repeat as necessary.
Ice and heat therapy helps treat pain through the Gate Control Theory of Pain[5], as both heat and coolness influence the gate mechanism. Topical pain relief products like MEDISTIK make use of this hot-and-cold effect to provide effective pain relief.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GATE CONTROL THEORY OF PAIN
How to Prevent Morning Foot Pain
Treating the symptoms of morning foot pain can provide temporary relief, but it’s important to take measures to prevent morning foot pain from occurring.
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Look After Your Feet With Proper Footwear
Ensuring that you have the right shoes for the right purpose can be the easiest way to prevent foot pain. Many places will have the ability to provide an assessment and advice that is customized to your feet. Getting fitted for proper running shoes based on your gait, or taking expert advice on everyday shoes from an orthotics expert could be the right next step for preventing morning foot pain.
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Prevent Morning Foot Pain by Stretching Before Bed
Looking after your foot mobility is important and can be crucial for keeping a healthy plantar fascia. Stretches outlined earlier in this article, as well as generally staying mobile and active are good practices for your foot health.
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Incorporate Topical Products Into Your Foot Health Routine
If you suffer from chronic or severe foot pain in the morning you may need to seek professional medical treatment or try using a topical pain relief product like MEDISTIK. Topical products can be applied directly to the impacted area providing targeted relief, and are generally considered safe to use before or after activity, or first thing in the morning. You may also want to consider combining treatments, such as stretching alongside using a topical product like MEDISTIK.
