Another way to soothe your aching and tired feet is to place a “nubby ball” under the sole of your foot. Hold onto a railing or countertop and put much of your weight through that foot, while using weight through the other foot for balance. Slowly roll the ball around in circles in the arch, then up and down along the sole of your foot, and then side to side, in the arch and under the ball of the foot. Don't forget the heel, which will be stiffer but also much in need of this type of massaging.
Again, any place that hurts is where you need to be. This can be a tight ligament, muscle, tight fascia, or a trigger point. Stay on this spot and roll back and forth with pressure to release the tension. This is especially effective after following instructions in previous blog article “Warm Stone Foot Massage”.
At times you can find a dumbbell shaped nubby ball, often in the dog toy section of pet stores, and this can be used by rolling it lengthwise along the sole of the foot. The bulbs on the end of the dumbbell shape will massage the sides of your foot, which support a great deal of your weight throughout the day!
Be aware if you have a bone spur first, as this technique would not be recommended in that case, and as always ask your doctor if this technique is appropriate for you and your foot condition. If it is, it will be a life long aid to open your feet whenever they are tired and overused.
You will feel the difference!