You’ll agree with me that hiking foot pain is something we all feel whenever we are hiking.
Why? you may ask.
Well, it’s because our feet performs most of the hiking work, trekking for miles with thousands of steps.
If you’re still troubled on how to manage or eliminate this little irritating feeling, just keep on reading.
Because, in this post, I will show you how to do it.
But first, let’s look at some of the causes of a hikers foot pain. It’s better to treat the cause than the effect.
Causes of Hiker foot problems
At times, you feel cramps not because you are having issues with your feet but because you are dehydrated says businessinsider
Don’t get me wrong, some pain you might be feeling right might be caused by other things. Namely, plantar fasciitis.
With everything I’m saying right now, you might be wondering if we are still talking about hiking foot pain. Yes, we are. I just deviated a bit.
According to ScienceDirect, foot pain generally affects one in four older people, foot pain impairs mobility and balance, It can be effectively managed.
I highlighted this fact, so you would know its infinitely possible to eliminate foot pain, so you would also have a total (or higher-than-little) comprehension of foot pain.
Also, I will give a list of some of the causes of foot pain, so you would know where you fit.
- Obesity or being overweight
- Old age
- Excessive walking/hiking and/or any other rigorous sport activity
- Foot deformity
- Injury
- Standing on your feet for a long period of time
- Sprains, fractures, Plantar fasciitis (like I mentioned before) and a lot of other hosts of them.
You can get the full list here.
Now, let’s get into what we came here for.
How To Eliminate Hiking Foot Pain
The issue of hiking foot pain shouldn’t tense you up.
Maybe a little.
Because at the end of you reading this post, you would have armed yourself with dangerous tips that will get you out of this mess.
Soak In Salt
Yes, you read right. According to prevention, this is a tested and true foot revitalizer. All you need to do is add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt to warm water, after which you keep your feet inside. Repeat this process until you’re satisfied.
The end result is that your feet will be rejuvenated.
Further Reading: Why Hiking Maybe Good For Your Health
Elevate your feet
After hiking for a long time, let us say 1 to 2 hours, you are expected to sit down. While taking some rest, stretch your legs so that it can be elevated at 45 degrees with your back on the ground.
This will help to circulate blood around your feet.
Wear Light Shoes
You probably already know that your waist hosts the weight of your upper body, while your feet holds both the weight of your upper body and lower part.
The point here is to reduce as much weight as possible while hiking. The shoes you wear shouldn’t be another extra weight at all. They should be specially designed for hiking.
The shoes you wear should be comfortable, lightweight, properly fitting, with cushion and arch support. This will help you a lot. So, the next time you intend buying a shoe, make sure you look out for these qualities.
Lightweight Backpacking Gear
Maybe, this should have to be the first point. According to prevention, your foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and many tendons that hold your feet together. And also that, the average person takes between 8000 to 10000 steps a day.
Guess what?
You are not an average person, you are a hiker for crying out loud, which means you take more than this proposed steps. Just imagine doing so with a heavy backpack, you would be putting so much pressure on your feet that exceeds your body weight.
The takeaway point is that, to prevent or manage your hiking foot pain, then you must consider carrying a lightweight backpacking gear.
Wear Socks
In the first point, I advised that you wear hiking shoes that are comfortable, that provides a cushion.
Assuming, you have no budget to get new shoes now, well, this is an alternative. Socks also provide a cushion. Not just any socks, but hiking socks. These socks are specially designed for hikers. They are lightweight. They are made of wool and polyester recommend by footwear specialist.
Examples are people’s merino wool, SmartWool hike medium crew.
Try Hydrotherapy
Familiar with this term? If not, don’t worry, I’m here to explain.
Hydrotherapy according to epainassist, is the use of exercise in water as a treatment for foot pain or any other pain for that matter.
Hydrotherapy works by using cold, ice, hot, or steam to relieve pain and promote physical well-being. Surprisingly enough, this method of therapy has been practiced for a very long time
Basically, the moment you dip your feet into cold or hot water, your nerves get a sensation that stimulates your immune system. Your immune system then improves blood circulation and whatnot.
The overall goal is to reduce long-lasting or sudden hiking foot pain.
Read: Fun Hiking Gifts That Guarantee a Good Time
Take enough water
Don’t forget I told you earlier that lack of water can be the reason for your foot pain. Let us flog this issue a little bit more.
When hiking, your feet are sweating, even, the entirety of your body is sweaty. But most importantly your feet. Why? Because according to Foot, there are 250,000 sweat glands in a foot. And these sweat glands excrete half-pint of moisture a day. Did you know this before?
Am assuming that this is for the average person let alone hikers whose main hobby is to be walking all day.
Can you see how this can cause foot pain?
Well, the advice remains the same. Take lots of water.
Read: Best Waterproof Camera For Hiking
Massage Your Foot
Other than an increase in blood circulation, the massaging of your feet can also reduce hiking foot pain greatly.
A short session of maybe three to five times a week will go a long way toward ensuring that this foot pain is eliminated.
You might also want to know that massaging of feet can also improve your sex life, reduce the repercussion of depression and anxiety, lowers blood pressure etc.
Hiking foot cream for fungal infection
Dermatophytes (skin loving organism) might just be the culprit causing this hiking foot pain you are currently experiencing.
But not to worry,
You can easily get rid of them using vinegar and water in the infected area for some minutes daily.
This should greatly reduce the pain.
Further reading: Hiking Knee pain: The Ultimate Guide to Avoid it
Wear InSoles
Concerning your shoes again, remember I earlier said that it must provide arch support and cushion? Right! Assuming you don’t have a budget for another shoe (though I recommend it because it’s your knee we are talking about here), you can easily just change the insoles.
The point here is that insoles are essential because they are designed for comfort and protection of your feet when they are subjected to a lot of pressure and shock. Get new ones today.
Avoid high heels
This point is not to your hiking personality, but to your social person. Do you know what I mean? Nobody wears high heels for hiking.
Most women suffer foot pain not because of their hiking shoes but because of the high heels they wear to a party, workplace or any other place. Why? Because the total pressure of the body is concentrated on the feet.
This eventually leads to foot pain, hip pain, lower back pain.
Am not saying, you should stop wearing high heels, but try to reduce wearing it since its causing serious health issues.
Avoid shoes with narrow space
More of the points here were about your shoe. This can tell you how important your shoe is when it comes to the matter of your feet.
I can’t stress this enough. The pressure of your whole body rests on your feet, therefore, wearing shoes with narrow space or tightly fitted to your legs will cause problems for your feet.
So, your shoe size is 45 but you bought a shoe with a size 43, who do you think you are doing? Yourself! Stop doing this.
When None of These Work
Am confident that if you take any one of this remedy seriously and to apply it every time, then you will have a breakthrough. It is an action that births reaction.
If you just keep sitting there hoping that one day this hiking foot pain will go on its own, then, I doubt it will. For every desired goal, there must be an equal action to see it come to fulfillment.
Assuming you did all of these things and nothing happened, instead, the pain got severe with bleeding, redness or swelling of joint, then, it is best you contact a medical professional.
Conclusion
I have told you everything I know on how to solve hiking foot pain.
What do you think?
Is there another effective method I didn’t mention? or have you tried this but didn’t get any result?
Let me know in the comment box we will flog the issue out.