Being on your feet all day can cause various health concerns, including foot pain. You may not always get to choose how much time you spend standing, but taking care of your foot health will help you avoid more serious concerns in the future. To get started, learn more about problems caused by standing all day and how to combat them below.

Issues Caused By Standing

When you stand all day, your muscles don’t have a chance to relax or flex in other positions. This can make them stiff and tired, causing tendon and ligament damage over time. Standing also reduces blood flow to the muscles between the legs and heart. When fluids don’t move properly throughout the body, veins can become inflamed.

Common problems from standing all day include foot pain, swelling, and fatigue. Pain can often also be felt in other areas of the body, including the calves, knees, thighs, hips, and lower back. Since prolonged standing causes veins to become inflamed, it can even lead to heart disease, varicose veins, high blood pressure, and chronic venous insufficiency. Finally, standing can result in plantar fasciitis, arthritis, bunions, poor posture, and tendinitis.

How to Combat These Issues

First, take breaks to sit when you can, as even a few minutes off your feet can rejuvenate muscles and improve circulation. Wearing appropriate footwear can also help, so choose shoes that alleviate pressure with heels between a quarter of an inch and 2 inches. Additionally, shoes with good arch support can help reduce soreness and improve blood flow.

Next, take a few minutes every hour to alternate between tightening and relaxing your calf, hamstring, and thigh muscles. Stretching your arms above your head can also help with back pain, and calf raises or light jogging will help pump blood from the feet to the rest of your body.

Finally, take care of your feet at home with ice packs and massages, and elevate them on a pillow to provide relief after a long day.

If you have foot pain from standing all day, contact Westside Podiatry Group in Rochester, NY. Their experienced doctors have helped patients with chronic foot and heel pain find the relief they need for the past 50 years. Visit them online to learn more about their treatment options, or call (585) 225-2290 to schedule an appointment today.