By Fred Salomon

Avoiding foot pain in advance is the ideal way to not have painful foot surgeries later. Though many people disregard foot pain for months, pretending that the pain isn't there or hoping it would just go away are inadequate reactions to the foot pain conundrum.

There are plenty of ways to help your feet stay strong, healthy, and pain-free with only a few changes to your daily routine. Here are a few reasons why metatarsalgia occurs, how to resolve issues with feet such as chronic Achilles tendonitis, and how minor changes, for instance using high heel insoles, can help.

High Heels Can Spell Trouble for Feet

Shoes with high heels can create much trouble for your feet. From the tight toe box (the region around the front of the foot) to the angle of incline, this type of footwear can do quite a bit of internal damage to feet.

First, when narrowing of the feet is forced, as happens in a high heeled shoe, the mid-foot and toe areas are forced into a tiny space where they cannot function properly.

The tendons, muscles, and ligaments are strained into a narrow space that doesn't allow the foot to function properly. Over time, nerves become squashed, blood flow is restricted to areas of the foot (particularly in the toes) and foot conditions ensue.

Massage Can Aid Feet in More Than One Way

Foot pain and soreness can be rubbed away with a gentle massage. The soft movement of the muscle fibers brings vital blood to the affected areas. Massage also carries healing, oxygen-rich blood into the affected foot.

Once muscles are relaxed, irritated nervous tissue can begin to decrease how often they are firing and pain relief results. If nerve endings and muscles are extremely irritated by a certain pair of shoes or an activity, swollen feet will occur.

In that case, applying ice to the foot for 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off for several hours should help. Elevating the feet higher than the heart during this time is also very helpful in allowing the surplus fluids to be carried away from the foot.

How Foot Stretching Can Help Achilles Tendinitis

Achilles heel pain can really put a black cloud over anyone's day. The tightening of this vital tendon can cause cramping in the lower leg. It can also be a major contributor to a tear or rip during activity.

The way to elongate the tendon's structure in order to lessen pain is to administer gentle stretching to the region. In a seated position on the floor, extend both legs in front. Then, slowly lean the upper body forward and the hamstring will begin to stretch out.

Now that the legs are warmed up, gently coax the feet towards the head to focus on the Achilles tendon. Hold the stretch for about 30-45 seconds, rest for about 60-90 seconds, and repeat 5 times.

Ball Of Foot Pain Doesn't Have to Be a Part of Your Life Anymore

In today's world where fashion rules, lack of willingness to get rid of the painful shoes is unfortunate. However, with the use of insoles for high heel shoes, metatarsalgia can be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether.

It is advisable to wear shoes with heels no higher than 2" and with a wider-profile heel such as a wedge to avoid future ball of foot pain. If feet are sore at day's end, consider changing to flat dress shoes for a few days per week to allow the feet some rest from tight shoes which will help feet heal in between wearing higher heels.

Be sure to elongate foot muscles with a stretch and have them massaged to encourage maximum blood flow to the feet.