In most athletic pursuits, your feet are going to be used, abused, and put through their paces. For runners, in particular, your feet take most of the pounding.
Every time you run, you cram them into tight trainers and hit the pavement, forcing them to carry you over immense distances at high speed. It’s easy to see why so many runners end up with problems with their ankles, shins, toes, and heels.
After all, when you run, you actually only ever place the weight of your body on one foot. All of your power, momentum, and tension move through the foot each time you put it down. The only contact you have with the pavement is the sole of that foot.
That's a lot of pressure for any body part to handle, and this means you should take extra special care to look after your feet.
They are going to carry you through that marathon, over the finish line in the 200m and outside of your sport or hobby, and you still need them every single day to get you from A-B.
Jump to:
- Benefits of Using a Massage Gun on Your Feet
- How to Use a Massage Gun on Your Feet
- How To Use a Massage Gun for Plantar Fasciitis
- Things to Avoid When Using a Massage Gun on Your Feet
Benefits of Using a Massage Gun on Your Feet
The Pro Massage Gun has some incredible benefits. When used on your muscles, it can speed up exercise recovery and increase flexibility. It does this by relieving lactic acid build-up and improving circulation.
But how about your feet? How can they benefit from precision massage?
Healthier, Happier Feet
Regular foot massage keeps your feet healthy and happy. It stimulates the muscles around your feet, keeps them mobile, prevents injuries, even reduces foot and ankle pain.
Improves Blood Circulation
If you have feet that are cold, numb, or cramping, then it could be a sign of poor blood circulation. Many things can cause bad circulation in the feet, including long days sitting at a desk, poor nutrition, inadequate footwear, or conditions such as diabetes.
Using a massage gun on your feet will improve blood flow and help to deliver nutrient-rich blood to your feet, which helps keep them healthy.
Relieve Pain
Foot massage doesn’t only relieve pain in your feet. In fact, reflexology, a type of foot massage, has been shown to reduce pain throughout the body, such as headaches and neck pain.
In a 2016 study, reflexology was shown to ease chronic lower back pain in nurses who spent long days on their feet. (1)
Improves Mood
Foot massage improves your mood, certain pressure points on the feet can even ease depression and anxiety.
In a 2018 study, foot- and hand massage in clinical settings reduced anxiety and even improved vital signs of patients. (2)
Encourages Relaxation
After a stressful day, a foot massage is incredibly soothing, especially if you’ve been on your feet a lot.
Improves Sleep
Nothing quite beats a foot massage before bed. It will improve blood circulation and encourage relaxation, both of which are great for sleep. It also gives you an activity to do away from screens before bed. Blue light has been proven time and time again to hinder sleep, so this is a great alternative!
Reduces Swelling
Feet can swell for many reasons, including overuse, pregnancy, being overweight, and even salty food. Foot massage can reduce swelling and fluid retention in the feet.
How to Use a Massage Gun on Your Feet
The Pro Massage Gun comes with six different attachments and four levels of speed, this allows you to customise your self-massage.
- Pick your attachment: The small round head is excellent for overall foot massage, especially for beginners. If you want to target particular trigger points on the feet, you could also use the bullet head.
- Set the speed: Set a level that’s right for you. We always advise you to start on the lowest level and only increase it if you’re craving a deeper sensation. Remember, more powerful isn’t always better, especially for sensitive areas such as the feet.
- Get into a relaxed position: It’s important that your feet are relaxed, so find a comfortable position. One option is sitting on a chair with one foot over the top of your leg. Avoid pulling the toes back or stretching your feet in any way as it might expose bones.
- Apply the Pro Massage Gun: You can use the Pro Massage Gun over your shoe or directly on your feet. Move the gun slowly around the sole of your foot for a maximum of two minutes, and then repeat on the other foot.
- Explore: These are just suggestions; you can use any attachment and any speed anywhere on your body. Experiment and find what feels right for you. Just be sure not to overdo it and stop if you feel any pain.
How To Use a Massage Gun for Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition that can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. The plantar fascia is a thick ligament that connects your heel to the front of the foot, it is a shock absorber and helps you walk, so when it becomes inflamed, it causes pain and stiffness.
For relief from plantar fascia, put your device on the lowest setting and use the small round head. Start near the top of the arch of your foot, and move down towards the heel, remaining on the arched area. This relieves muscle tension and increases blood supply to the plantar fascia to help it heal.
Next, use the side of the foam ball to massage the heels and toes. Using the side of the attachment will create a more gentle effect. When massaging your toes, you may want to cup the back of your toes with your hand to create extra support.
If you have plantar fasciitis, then it’s essential that you take it slow. While massage can have massive benefits, you could increase inflammation if you use it for too long. So start by using the gun for no longer than a minute on each foot, and see how you feel.
Calf tightness is also a massive contributing factor to plantar fasciitis, so use your massage gun across your calves as well for the greatest benefits.
Things to Avoid When Using a Massage Gun on Your Feet
Feet can be sensitive, and they have a lot of tiny bones, so, while using a massage gun on your feet can feel amazing, it’s important to be aware of a few things you need to avoid.
Going too fast
Start off slowly by using the lowest setting with the foam round tip for a minute on each foot and see how you feel.
Massaging for too long
Always stick to no more than two minutes. Percussion therapy is powerful, and you only need to use your massage gun for a maximum of two minutes on each foot.
Going over the ankles
Don’t use the massage gun on your ankles, as this is where the posterior tibial nerve lies, which is a sensitive area. You will experience benefits to your ankle by using the massage gun on the bottom of your feet.
Ignoring pain
Stop if you feel pain, as you shouldn’t experience pain from a massage gun. If you do, it may be a sign to stop or slow down.
Take Away
Whether you spend a lot of time sitting down, you spend all day on your feet, or you are training for a marathon, everyone can benefit from foot massage.
Your feet support your whole body, and it’s imperative that you take good care of them! If your feet or ankles carry tension, then find relief and increase mobility with The Pro Massage Gun.
References
- Babadi, M. E., Nazari, F., Safari, R., & Abdoli, S. (2016). The effect of reflexology on pain perception aspects in nurses with chronic low back pain in Isfahan. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 21(5), 487–492.
- Hasheminia Seyyed Alimohammad, Zahra Ghasemi, Salehi Shahriar, Sedehi Morteza, Khaledifar Arsalan, Effect of hand and foot surface stroke massage on anxiety and vital signs in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A randomized clinical trial, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Volume 31, 2018, Pages 126-131, ISSN 1744-3881,
