How To Relieve Foot Pain During Pregnancy (Easily & Safely)

Pregnancy / By

You made it through the crazy mornings full of nausea and vomiting. Congratulations! You’re a superwoman. But, before you’re through with celebrating this achievement, another challenge pops up: Your feet are now swollen and painful.

While shunning cute doll shoes for non-fashionable crocs hurts, don’t let it disturb you. You’re not alone.

I will discuss in this article how you can relieve foot pain during pregnancy.

how to relieve foot pain during pregnancy

How To Relieve Foot Pain During Pregnancy Safely

There are various ways to relieve foot pain during pregnancy, such as stretching, wearing comfortable shoes, reducing salt intake, increasing potassium levels, and wearing special compression socks.

Further, you can try foot exercises, drinking lots of fluids, weight management, and cold therapy to soothe foot pain at home.

Pregnancy comes with many discomforts, including foot swelling and pain. While the condition may not ham your munchkin, it can interfere with walking, sleeping, and other daily activities.

The main culprit behind swellings is edema. When the body retains more fluids, you may notice puffiness on your feet, arms, and face. The blood volume/circulation change and pressure on your muscles due to the extra pregnancy weight make your feet ache.

As your baby grows, they also pressure the nerves and muscles. Additionally, If you experience calcium deficiency and excess phosphorous, you’ll likely have regular cramping.

The good news is that foot pain is manageable using home remedies. It’s also crucial for you to learn how to prevent leg pain during pregnancy. A healthy diet is vital in managing many common health issues 

Causes Of Pregnancy Foot Pain

Aching feet are a prevalent complaint among pregnant women. While it can occur anytime in your pregnancy, the condition is often worse toward the third trimester. Your body undergoes many drastic changes due to the growing baby and hormonal shifts. These new changes manifest in your body parts, including your legs and belly. But what causes foot pain?

You may suffer from aching feet due to the following reasons:

  • Extra weight – The excess weight of you and your developing baby strains your knees and feet. This pressure can overwhelm your feet’ ligaments, tissues, and muscles, leading to pain.
  • Plantar fasciitis – This is a condition resulting from the inflammation of tissues interconnecting the heels and toes. Plantar fasciitis is due to excessive weight during pregnancy, which leaves you with inflamed fascia. It’s characterized by a sharp, stabbing pain across your heels, especially when getting out of bed in the morning.
  • Gravity shift – A protruding belly changes your sitting, standing, and walking posture. Your body’s centre of gravity is likely to shift. As the feet try to adapt to the pressure distribution changes, they may become stressed/strained.
  • Edema – As your adrenal glands excrete hormones during pregnancy for the baby’s sake, the excretion may make the body retain more fluids. Your expanding uterus and growing baby also increase fluid retention by putting pressure on blood vessels.

Improper blood flow may also lead to foot muscle cramps and swelling (edema), which can be painful. Edema is a normal occurrence during pregnancy. However, immediately call your doctor immediately to observe for signs of asymmetrical swelling on both feet.

  • Overpronation – Weight gain may put pressure on the arches of your feet, making them collapse. So, when arches flatten, your feet curve inwards, exposing your calf, ankle, and feet muscles to pressure/pain

14 Tips On How To Help Foot Pain During Pregnancy

Despite the discomfort caused by foot pain, all is not lost. Aside from causing difficulties in walking, standing, or sitting, it’s refreshing to know that the condition doesn’t affect your little one. Also, it’s easy to alleviate foot pain using simple remedies.

how to relieve foot pain during pregnancy

Let’s find out how to cure foot pain in pregnancy below. Some practical ways include:

  1. Elevate your feet

Prop your swollen/paining feet on a stool or chair to reduce discomfort. When your feet are raised, they get closer to the heart. This enhances proper blood circulation and causes less pain.

  1. Stretch your legs

While the pain may feel worse initially, stretching calms feet nerves, muscles, and ligaments.

  1. Wear appropriate footwear

Your feet are already ailing; the best you can do is to make them comfortable. Wearing snugly-fitting shoes with the correct size – may be a larger size- makes your feet comfortable and pain-free.

Avoid tight shoes as they add more pressure and pain. When buying a pair, look for shoes with firm cushioning, a wide/ large toe box, and a stretchy mesh top cover.

  1. Move your feet

Foot and ankle exercises, including calf raises, golf ball rolls, and ankle range of motion, greatly help in improving foot pain. If the pain worsens on doing such exercises, contact your doctor immediately for a proper diagnosis. 

  1. Limit salt (sodium) intake

Sodium makes your body retain more fluids than usual, causing body swelling and puffiness (edema). Reducing salt intake improves foot swelling and pain accordingly.

  1. Wear compression socks

Try a pair of knee/thigh-high compression socks to reduce foot swelling, inflammation, and soreness. Granulated, copper-infused compression tights are best and are available on Amazon. Remember to seek advice from your doctor on choosing the most suitable type for you.

  1. Boost potassium intake

Potassium balances body fluids versus sodium levels. Potassium deficiency worsens edema and may also increase foot pain.

Eat potassium-rich foods, including potatoes, spinach, beans, oranges, carrots, prunes, and yogurt, to boost potassium. Ask your doctor about pregnancy-safe potassium supplements.

  1. Drink lots of fluids

Drinking plenty of water flushes out excess body fluids. Fresh fruits/vegetable juices and beverages also work well. However, avoid caffeinated drinks as they worsen dehydration. Taking electrolyte water is another good option. Add some lemon juice for flavour if you can’t stand plain water.

  1. Apply cold therapy

Using cold compression, icing/cold therapy slows down the flow of blood to the pain area, preventing blood leakage. Additionally, cold or ice gives a numbing effect that alleviates tissue soreness and pain.

You can use ice cubes, frozen vegetables like cabbages, water-filled frozen paper cups, or a water bottle full of cold water. Further, using a pair of ice therapy slippers from Amazon magically alleviates heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis.

Use ice therapy cautiously and don’t place the relief items directly on your skin to avoid frostbite. Treat your pain twice daily, in the morning and evening, after a busy day full of movements.

  1. Stay on your left side when sleeping

Did you know most major veins, such as the vena cava, are positioned on the right side of your body? It may be challenging for back-sleepers, but practice sleeping on your left to draw pressure away from veins. This greatly alleviates foot pain and could also minimize swelling.

  1. Mind your sitting posture

Sit upright and avoid crossing your legs. A good posture relaxes your feet and enhances blood circulation.

  1. Keep cool

High temperatures are not only uncomfortable, but they also increase foot pain and swelling. Stay in cool conditions, and take a warm bath or a relaxing swim to soothe the pain.

  1. Epsom salt foot bath

Aside from treating fungal infections and exfoliation, Epsom salt foot baths remove harmful toxins causing irritation and inflammation. According to the Epsom Salt Council, the magnesium sulphate in this salt can be absorbed through the skin to ease swollen and inflamed feet.

Add some salt to hot water and soak your feet for fifteen minutes daily to effectively manage foot pain. Use water that’s not very hot as it may burn and worsen the condition.

  1. Mind your weight

Try different ways of maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy. This includes exercise and diet changes. If you’re within the recommended weight limits, your feet won’t pain much since there’s less pressure and strain.

When To See A Doctor

Mostly, foot pain is manageable using non-medical remedies. However, see a doctor immediately if you experience the following signs:

  • Excruciating pain and swelling
  • Tenderness, soreness, and redness in the problem area
  • Fever/ High temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Difficulty in walking or loss of balance
  • A tingling, burning, numbing sensation all over your feet

The above symptoms could point to a severe medical condition such as diabetes. You’ll need a proper diagnosis and treatment to curb foot pain. 

Get treatment early before the plantar fasciitis pain spreads to your legs, back, knees, and hips. Be patient and avoid panicking. Many women suffer foot problems during pregnancy and are successfully treated without significant complications.

Wrapping Up

Are you wondering how to relieve foot pain during pregnancy? Take time to understand the causes first. Foot pain results from extra weight, gravity shift, plantar fasciitis, and edema.

Some effective remedies include wearing compression socks, ice/cold therapy, foot exercises, weight management, Epsom salt bath, and regular intake of fluids.

While this type of pain is normal and easily manageable at home, visit your doctor immediately if you experience prolonged pain/swelling, fever, excruciating pain, foot soreness/tenderness or redness, and loss of balance.

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