How to Relieve Sore Feet: Ball-of-Foot, Arch and Heel Pain

Sore feet are miserable. And they're easy to ignore — until they stop you. The good news is that most foot pain is very treatable once you know what's causing it. The fix depends on where it hurts. Here's how to relieve the three most common trouble spots: the ball of the foot, the arch, and the heel.

Ball-of-foot pain (metatarsalgia)

This is a burning or aching pain under the ball of your foot, just behind the toes. It's usually an overload of the metatarsal heads — the bones behind your toes. Hard surfaces, thin or tight shoes, high heels, high-impact sport and long days on your feet all pile it on.

To relieve it:

• Ease off high-impact activity while it calms down. Ice it after if it's sore.
• Wear shoes with a wider toe box and a low heel. Bin the tight or worn-out pairs.
• Add cushioning under the forefoot.
• Use a metatarsal pad. It sits just behind the sore spot and spreads the load off the painful heads. It's the single most effective fix for metatarsalgia.

Arch aches

This is a deep ache or fatigue through the arch. It often shows up after long days or long runs. You're more prone to it with flat feet, if you overpronate, or after hours on hard floors in unsupportive shoes.

To relieve it:

• Support the arch. Arch support shares the load, so the arch isn't doing all the work alone.
• Don't go barefoot on hard floors. It leaves the arch unsupported all day.
• Roll it out. A couple of minutes rolling the arch over a massage ball or a frozen bottle eases tired tissue.
• Stretch your calves. Tight calves pull on the tissues under your foot.

Heel pain

This is sharp or bruised pain under the heel. By far the most common cause is plantar fasciitis — an overload of the tissue under your arch. It's usually worst on the first few steps in the morning.

To relieve it:

• Take the load off. Cushioning softens each heel strike. Arch support shares the load off the fascia.
• Don't walk barefoot at home. Every barefoot step reloads it.
• Do the plantar-fascia stretch. Pull your toes back towards your shin. Hold 10 seconds, ten times, three times a day. Do the first set before your feet touch the floor.
• Support it in your shoes. A good insole is exactly what an overloaded heel needs — cushioning plus arch support. Enertor's insoles are clinically proven to relieve plantar fasciitis pain in 91% of sufferers, with a cushioned heel and arch support that take the strain off.

One insole covers all three

Here's the neat part. The three fixes above point to three features: a met pad, arch support and a cushioned heel. Enertor insoles have all three built in. Add shock absorption that soaks up around half the impact of each step, and a single insole covers ball-of-foot, arch and heel at once.

For when you're off your feet at home, the Recovery Slides carry the same arch support, raised heel and met pad — with cushioning to take the weight off tired, sore feet. Both come with a 60-day money-back guarantee, so there's no risk in trying them.

When to see a professional

See a physio, podiatrist or GP if the pain lasts more than a few weeks despite sensible care. Do the same if it's severe, if it's changing how you walk, or if you get numbness, tingling or a sharp spot that keeps worsening. They can pin down the cause and rule out things like a stress fracture, a trapped nerve or Morton's neuroma.

The short version

• Ball-of-foot pain (metatarsalgia): roomier shoes, forefoot cushioning, and a met pad to offload the sore spot.
• Arch aches: arch support, no barefoot on hard floors, and roll and stretch the foot and calf.
• Heel pain: usually plantar fasciitis — cushion and support the heel, don't go barefoot, and do the plantar-fascia stretch.
• Enertor insoles combine a met pad, arch support and a cushioned heel, so one pair covers all three. They're clinically proven to relieve plantar fasciitis pain in 91% of sufferers.
• Pain lasting weeks, severe, or with numbness? Get it checked.

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Sore feet don't have to be your normal. Match the fix to the spot, and most settle within a few weeks. And to cover all three at once, Enertor's insoles pack a met pad, arch support and a cushioned heel into one pair — backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee.