How do you relieve foot pain?  Your feet are your roots. Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. Those 52 total bones in your feet make up 25% of all the bones in your body. They are the cornerstone of your active life and you should be taking care of them. Needless to say, there is a lot going on, and a lot that could go wrong. So what is the best way to relieve foot pain?

Conditioning: Like the rest of your body, the best way to ensure you don’t experience any foot-related injuries is to condition yourself. Don’t push yourself beyond your capabilities. For example: if you’re not a runner, and you sign up for a race and decide to just jump into training you will put yourself at risk for injury. Slowly building up to what you’re wanting to accomplish is key (See: 4 Common Injuries Wiivv Can Help)

10% Rule: When training – whether it’s cross training, running, weight lifting – a good rule of thumb is the 10% rule. The rule is simple – don’t increase your activity by more than 10% per week. This includes time, distance, intensity, and increased weight. Increasing your workload too quickly can put a huge strain on your feet, knees, hips, and back.

Warm-Up: A cold muscle is like a frozen branch. Too much stress too quickly and it’ll snap. A warm muscle is much more pliable. Take a slow warm-up jog, ride the bike, or lightly stretch for a few minutes to get your body ready to work. This increased range of motion will help your alignment, joints, ligaments, tendons etc. and keep you injury free.

Don’t Ignore Injuries, Past or Present: if you have weak ankles or knees, wear your brace. You don’t want to compound the problem and set training back a week or two. Weak ankles and knees can also impact your feet. Once pain has developed in the foot, you’ll find you can’t really do much until it’s gone – if something hurts and it shouldn’t then spend time determining the cause.

Use the Right Gear: One of the best ways to relieve foot pain is through proper gear. Make sure your footwear fits properly and is meant for the activity you are doing (running, hiking, biking etc). Custom insoles can also make a world of difference. Proper insoles can help your biomechanics, and realign your knees and hips. If you suffer from one or more of the following conditions, Wiivvs may be the best insoles for you:

1. Plantar Fasciitis
2. Achilles Tendinitis
3. Runner's Knee
4. Shin Splints
5. Flat Feet
6. High Arches
7. Over Pronation
8. Supination

Relive your foot pain. Buy BASE by Wiivv – custom, 3D printed insoles here: www.wiivv.com/base