At last! Four TIPS for people Standing All Day at Work.
Are you standing all day at work? Do you have knee problems, corns, and leg swelling from standing on your feet at work? Are you thinking if new shoes will help, or maybe should I get gel inserts? Do you have a lover back problem? Surely it’s not only me, right?
Read on to find the answers. This post gives real-life solutions to these problems, that I use after and during my shift, not only to treat but also to prevent long-term complications.
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About me; I work 8 hours on my feet at a retail store. Which isn’t just standing but also lifting and a lot of squatting for lower shelf stocking, that really wears my knees, feet out and gives me lower back pain.
If you are young you can get used to it, but after your 40th it gets harder and harder each year to stand all day.
What Can You Do to Ease Pain from Standing All Day at Work?
The best tips I can give you are;
1. Choose High-Quality Proper Footwear
Get good shoes if you stand all day.
Trust me; they’re the difference between heaven and hell.
- Never cheap out on work shoes/boots. Pay extra attention to your toe space and proper width. Make sure you have good arch support and that your shoes will accommodate insole inserts and/or compression socks.
- Replace them every 12 months or semi-annually. Spend the money now rather than paying for a bunch of joint and back pains in the future. Especially if you standing all day, this is so worthwhile. I know it’s could be expensive, but so worthwhile.
- Wear compression socks to improve blood circulation in your feet.
Compression socks prevent blood from pooling in your legs, which can worsen pre-existing health conditions like Spider or Veracious Veins. Blood clots can also be avoided in even the healthiest of people.
Before you buy compression socks
Measure with the tape around your foot, ankle, calf, and thigh (if you intend on wearing full-length ones). If socks are too big they will continually fell down.
Check out Physix Gear Compression Socks or only Calf Compression Sleeves on Amazon.
Good quality, well-fitting shoes are the best help for sore, tired, and aching feet. When buying the next pair of shoes, sneakers, or leather shoes, keep these four things in mind.
Are They the Right Size?
Feet naturally swell while standing all day and need room for this. Try to shop for your shoes in the evening after work.
Do Your Feet Slide in Your Shoe?
This can lead to blisters, rubbing, and pain fatigue. Try to find sneakers or leather shoes with shoelaces to adjust throughout the day.
Do They Have Arch Support?
Your shoes should provide good arch support and padding, helping to reduce weakness and soreness in the legs and feet.
Consider plasing an orthotics inside your shoes. You can purchase them at any drug or athletics stores.
Do They Have a Flat Sole?
Flats may seem like an obvious choice if you work on your feet, but they aren’t recommended for prolonged standing.
Your heel should be between 1/4-inch and two inches high.
2. Massage Your Feet
After a long shift, as soon as I come home, I take off my shoes and socks and elevating my legs against a wall for a few minutes.
The draining of blood releases pressure and reduces pain and swelling like nothing else.
Place your butt as close to the wall as possible with a rolled-up, small towel on your lower back for support
If you need a bit more information about this pose, check out the video below.
While sitting on the sofa after work, roll a tennis or Spiky Massage Ball under the bottom of your foo, to improve blood flow and strengthen your muscles.
But my dream massager is Human Touch Reflex Foot & Calf Shiatsu Massager. One day I will splurge. It has amazing reviews on Amazon.
3. Move Around
Take short walks every 15 minutes or so. It doesn’t need to be long, just 10-20 feet. Usually, you can look like your doing something when walking around. This movement should help ease the strain from the standing position.
Also, if you stand in one place, exercise your feet, ankles and lower leg. Curl your toes, rock back and forth distributing your weight from the front of your feet to the heel, bend your knee then roll your ankle around, periodically stand on the ball of your feet.
Try not to shift your weight from one leg to the other, it looks unprofessional and increasing pressure on your joints.
If your workplace allows, use an antifatigue mat. We have one at work, provided by the company, and it helps considerably when we have to stand in front of the cash register without moving for a long time.
4. Build Body Strength
Lastly, if you don’t WORK OUT already START.
You should be doing this either way, but a strong healthy body will allow you to easily stay on your feet all day long. I do it for 15-30 minutes each morning.
I think (in my non-medical opinion) that stretching is awesome and not enough people do it.
P.S. Use Ibuprofen (100-200 mg) if you find pain levels becoming intolerable. I can’t tell you how much it helps. Everyone has good and bad days when it comes to stiffness or pain. The anti-inflammatory effect of the Ibuprofen can help to prevent further injury, which is important if you need to keep the job to stay afloat.
Recently I wrote a post “Unusual Tips to Help You to Fall Asleep“, that will help you to prepare for bed. Check it out here.
Bonus: Foot Yoga!
I didn’t know this was a “thing,” until my favorite YouTube Yoga teacher – ‘Yoga with Adrienne’ explained it beautifully through a video I had to share with you! Check it out below.
See Professional if you have tried all these alternatives and your pain still continues, consider booking an appointment with a podiatrist or doctor. It’s a good idea to rule out an underlying health condition so you can start appropriate treatment.
Summery
Are you working in retail, assembly line workers, security staff, engineers, catering staff, library assistants, hairstylists, and laboratory technicians? Say no to throbbing, aching legs and feet after standing all day.
If your feet are happy, you’re happy!
Let’s all start being a little kinder to our legs and feet by buying high-quality shoes that fit correctly, incorporating stretching and massage into our daily routine.
Write in the comments below on how you treat foot pain from standing all day.
