For those who often spend time on their feet all day, pain from tight muscles and stiff joints is all too familiar. And while massages can provide relief, they can also cost a small fortune if your feet are constantly sore. Thankfully, there are some home therapies that can help you soothe your aching, tired feet after a long day at work.
One of the best methods for home therapy on tired feet is contrast therapy, which uses hot water and cold water to induce natural responses that help alleviate pain and inflammation. Let's look at how this form of therapy could help you get the relief you need.
3 Common Forms of At-Home Therapy for Foot Pain
Whether you have a foot condition such as plantar fasciitis, a recent injury like an ankle sprain, or simply walk a lot at work, contrast therapy can probably help you feel better.
When you combine this effective treatment method with other well-known techniques, you can further enhance your results. Here are a couple of therapies to start with for faster foot relief.
1. For Recent Acute Injuries, Use The RICE Method
If you've suffered from an acute foot or ankle injury recently, starting with the RICE method is ideal. This acronym stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Once you've done this for around a week, you can start to dial this back and phase in cold water immersion.
This simple yet highly effective form of pain relief can help provide faster recovery from foot and ankle injuries, along with the entire body.
2. Soak Feet In a Bucket of Warm Water With Epsom Salt
Another home remedy for foot pain that's been used for decades is soaking in Epsom salt. This form of therapy has been popular for a long time now for its reported relief benefits. Ironically, Epsom salt isn't actually salt—it's magnesium sulfate—which is thought to be absorbed through the skin to deliver relief to aching muscles.
This can help speed up the healing process for ankle and foot injuries, but the effects are relatively minor, along with highly localized.
3. Use Contrast Hydrotherapy At Home
Beyond soaking your feet in Epsom salts or using the RICE method for relief from chronic pain and muscle soreness in your feet, contrast water therapy is an effective treatment that also benefits the entire body.
This therapy involves switching from a hot soak to plunging into ice water up to your neck. While it may seem unnecessary to submerge your entire body, there are some great benefits to doing so.
How Contrast Hydrotherapy Helps With Foot Pain
Cold temperatures can help with stiff joints, muscle tension, or a muscle spasm in your feet. And by starting with heat first, these benefits can be amplified. Here's how it works.
Reduces Fatigue in Foot Muscles
Often, chronic foot pain is the result of spending considerable time standing and walking throughout most days. Contrast therapy has been found by researchers to provide a reduction in fatigue in overworked muscles. This can help those who often deal with foot pain from simply using these muscles too much.
Decreases Swelling
Swelling and inflammation are other key contributors to chronic pain in the feet. This often comes from a foot condition or from past injuries. Helping improve blood circulation throughout the feet is one-way inflammation can be reduced, which is why contrast therapy is so effective for foot pain. Contrast therapy causes blood vessels to open and close, helping improve their elasticity, improving blood circulation.
What's the Right Way to Do Contrast Therapy?
If you're first starting out with contrast therapy, there are a few important tips to keep in mind. Following these simple guidelines can help you get the most from this therapy while remaining safe.
Starting with heat is an essential part of safe contrast therapy. That's because it's potentially harmful to warm your body back up too quickly after an ice bath. It's much safer to warm up slowly by putting on some warm, cozy clothing instead.
A best practice is beginning with a 10-minute hot soak or sauna, then moving to your cold water immersion tub for three to five minutes. This ensures the maximum benefits with the least risk to personal safety, especially at home.
Get Contrast Therapy For Tired Feet At Home
When contrast therapy is available right in the comfort of your own home, it's much easier to get foot pain relief. Why rely on adding bags of ice or trying to drain the water after warm baths to get the benefits of contrast therapy?
With RENU Therapy, experience hot saunas and cold immersion tubs that deliver always-ready contrast therapy at home! Check out our lineup of premium contrast therapy equipment that boasts industry-leading warranties today.
