Relief From Foot & Ankle Pain
If your feet feel tired and sore, you’re not alone!
Many people spend long hours on their feet, and your feet definitely deserve some extra care.
Your feet carry the entire weight of your whole body when you moving upright.
But the biggest reason for this extra care can be found in the old adage, “You age from your feet”.
i believe the reasoning in this adage is because the feet are the furthest anatomical part away from your heart when you’re standing.
And just like water, it’s not as easy to pump blood uphill as it is downhill.
When you add to that fact the possibility that the skeletal alignment of your lower back and pelvic regions is already compromised, not only can the transportation of blood flow be affected, but neural connectivity as well.
And just to throw in a little bit more doom energy, if your oxygen intake is already compromised due to other conditions, is it any surprise that there’s so many sore feet out there!
So in this post, lets get into a simple remedy so you can find relief from foot pain, using a simple cardboard tube.
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What you will need
You’ll need a stable chair and a tube.
- A supportive chair so you can sit forward on the chair so the weight of your torso is predominately resting on your sit bones.
- And your tube.
You don’t have to use a cardboard tube as you can also use a pvc pipe, or anything round that’s a least a foot long (best diameter is around 50-60mm), but i prefer the cardboard as it feels better to me.
Both options can be used as an awesome healing tool to promote the well being of sore feet, but also as a potent healing tool for healing both foot & ankle injuries.
All from the comfort of your own home and the cardboard tubes are generally free!
The technique
- Sitting on a chair with the tube in front of you, very gently place your foot on the tube.
- Gently roll your foot over the tube to get used to the pressure.
- Adjust your pressure accordingly to the amount of pain you are feeling.
- When you’re breathing easily and the foot is starting to relax, lift up your big toe to extend your flexor digitorum longus tendon.
- As you breathe, roll the tube backwards and forwards.
- Don’t allow the foot to wrap around the tube.
- The reason why we lift the big toe up is we’re going to extend the tendon.
- Roll your foot over the tube and bring it right up into the bone at the base of the big toe and return it all the way back down into the heel.
- To increase the pressure of the foot onto the tube simply just place your elbow on the knee of the side you are working on.
- Support your hand with your opposite hand you’ll see you can bring your body weight over it and you can still get good movement of the foot.
- If your foot is a bit sore and you wish to decrease the pressure, simply move your body away from the tube and rest your hand on the knee.
- For more pressure on your foot, lean onto your knee with your elbow, keeping your hand supported. Breathe.
- Remember… always let the tube be received by the tube, don’t try to force the body into the tube.
Where can i get a cardboard tube?
The cardboard tube i use in this video is the internal tube from a big roll of architectural paper.
With the extra length, your tube can also be used for calf, knee, thigh shoulder and neck work.
Ask your local printing shop and the chances are more than likely they’ll just give one if there’s one in the bin.
If not ask if they’ll hold one for you.
i’ve never paid for one and have picked up hundreds over the years.
But if you’re just wanting to use a tube for your feet (it’s good to have both options available), using a smaller tube is just as good.
i get the smaller tubes from the local food markets.
The smaller tubes are the internal tube for the roll of cellophane bags.
The cellophane bags you put your loose fruit and vegetables into ready for weighing.
Definitely ask at your local markets or grocery store.
Same thing… i’ve never been charged.
The only prerequisite is the thickness of the tube wall.
It has to be thick enough so you can place the weight of your body with one foot resting on it and it doesn’t collapse!
Using the Tube
With socks or without?
i believe for improved neural connection and weight displacement control, bare foot is best.
Wearing socks can slip whereas bare foot, your skin will stick better to your tube so you can direct the movement to where you want it to go.
So sitting with the weight of your torso predominately resting on your sit bones, with your feet flat on the ground, place the tube under the foot you’re going to treat.
Start rolling the tube lightly with your foot, back and forth, from the ball of your big toe right down to where your heel begins.
You don’t want to press too hard; remember, it’s all about gentle pressure and elongation.
Imagine you’re gently using the tube to not only apply pressure but relaxing your foot so your foot receives the tube.
Relaxing the foot is the key to releasing and lengthening the two major tendons of your foot:
- Flexor hallucis longus
- Flexor digitor longus
And as you gently roll the tube along these tendons, pay attention to those tight spots.
If you find a sore area, spend a little extra time there.
Keep moving along the sole of your foot from your heel, across the arch, up the beginning of the ball of your big toe.
How long should I use the tube?
You might wonder how long you should use the tube to promote blood flow and pressure onto the sole of your foot.
Aim for about 5 to 10 minutes on each foot.
This might seem short, but trust me, your feet, ankles, calves and legs will thank you!
You can always repeat the process if you want a little more relief.
Then again i have experienced and witnessed many times when even serious sprains of the ankle occur, even if there’s black and blue bruising all over, that the simple act of using the tube on the affected side for say, the length of a movie and more, has seen the participant walk freely within days.
Not weeks or months!
Days if not hours!
The more time you invest in a gentle manner and focus on relaxing the tendon the better.
Finishing off
Once you’re done with the tube, wiggle your toes, flex your feet, roll your ankles around and enjoy the feeling of pain free movement.
As always, it’s all about bring blood and conscious awareness to the inflamed area’s.
Your feet deserve the love
Treating your feet with the tube is an easy and effective way to relieve tension for your whole body.
It doesn’t take much time, and you don’t need fancy tools.
Just a tube and a bit of your time can make a world of difference.
So, when your feet are feeling worn out, remember this simple technique.
After a bit of time invested into loving and supporting your body (it’s not all about what you can get from your body but what you can give), your feet will feel rejuvenated, and you’ll be ready to move forward and happily take another step!
