There are myriad reasons why you may be suffering from swollen feet, most notably staying on your feet for too long, pregnancy, lifestyle factors, and certain medical conditions.
Depending on the seriousness of your condition, there are several ways to get temporary and hopefully permanent relief from swollen feet, including elevating your feet, soaking your feet in a cool Epsom salt bath, and massaging your feet.
Getting a foot massage not only promotes relaxation, but can also considerably reduce the swelling in your feet. But getting a foot massage at a professional massage parlor can be an expensive affair, costing somewhere between $50 to $100 per session.
With a home foot massager, you get as close as possible to the real deal in the comfort of your home, and at a fraction of the price of a professional foot massage.
Are foot massagers good for swollen feet? Yes, absolutely. In this post, I go through 5 of the main reasons why foot massagers are great to have around house, if you have swollen feet.
5 Ways Foot Massagers Help with Swollen Feet
1. Increases Blood Circulation
Chronic Venous Insufficiency is a medical condition that can cause swelling in your feet, and occurs when your leg veins restrict blood to flow back to your heart.
Damaged veins can take a toll on your blood circulation, which leads to swelling in your feet.
Further, if you suffer from edema, which generally occurs in the feet and legs due to one or more medical conditions such as heart problems, diabetes or even pregnancy, getting a daily foot massage can significantly reduce the swelling by increasing blood circulation.
A foot massager not only improves blood circulation, but accelerates healing, and keeps your muscles and tissues healthy.
2. Relieves Stress
When your body is stressed out, full of adrenaline or hyperventilating, it may pump excess blood to vital organs, which reduces the amount of blood flow to your feet and ankles.
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3. Helps with Arthritis
Arthritis is an umbrella term for more than 100 diseases, and can cause inflammation and swelling in your feet. Psoriatic arthritis, more specifically can cause a sausage-like swelling called dactylitis in your toe joints.
With a foot massager, you can apply moderate pressure to ease tension, and relieve arthritis pain.
Also known as zone therapy, reflexology is the practice of putting pressure on your feet and hands, and comes standard with many of the best foot massagers.
A reflexology massage induces relaxation, and relieves stress in the areas of your body where you are experiencing arthritis pain including your feet.
4. Relieves Stiff Muscles
Just as the term would suggest, muscle stiffness is when you experience discomfort due to tight muscles.
When your muscles feel tight, you may find it difficult to move, and you may even experience muscle pain and cramping.
Muscle stiffness typically goes away on its own with regular exercise or stretching, but may sometimes cause swelling if it is something more serious, resulting in redness, pain and swelling in the area.
Experts claim that you may be able to treat muscle stiffness at home with a foot massage. When you get a foot massage, the temperature of your muscles rises, and this increase in temperature loosens up your muscles as the inelasticity of your tissues is reduced.
5. Eases pain
There may be several reasons you may be experiencing pain in your feet, and pain can cause swollen feet.
A foot massager can help activate the lymphatic system, which can get rid of the excess fluid in your feet.
In fact, many physiotherapists recommend getting a foot massage for those suffering from swelling in their feet.
The best foot massagers allow you to choose from several different massaging techniques and pressure levels, which reduces swelling, and enhances healing by increasing oxygen and nutrients to your feet.
Final Thoughts
Foot massagers can greatly reduce, or even eliminate swelling and pain in your feet through increased blood and nutrient flow.
Certain medical conditions such as diabetes also cause swollen feet, and foot massagers along with your doctor prescribed medication can provide some level of relief.
However, it is worth mentioning that if you are experiencing severe swelling and/or pain in your feet, it is recommended that you see a medical practitioner for best advice, and not simply choose temporary relief with a foot massager or other home remedies.
