Osteoarthritis is a painful condition where the main issue is lack of synovial fluid lubricating the joints. If you suffer from osteoarthritis in the feet, there is a simple exercise you can do at home, using only a tennis ball, that can help stimulate the fluid in joints of the feet.
Try this:
- Sit in a chair
- Put a tennis ball under the sole of the foot
- Roll your foot over the tennis ball for 15 seconds. Use the weight of your leg to apply a little pressure. Switch position so that you roll the front, middle and back of the foot over the ball for 15 seconds on each area.
- Finally spend a further 15 seconds concentrating on any tender areas of the foot. Then switch to the other foot and repeat.
The whole procedure should only take one minute per foot and should be repeated twice a day. It might be helpful to keep a tennis ball next to your bed to remind you to do this exercise when you first get up and before you go to bed.
Please do not become disheartened if this exercise does not seem to be working immediately. Unfortunately stimulating synovial fluid production in the joints is uncomfortable, and can be painful initially, but you should feel the benefit of this exercise after doing it twice daily for two weeks.
For more advice on osteoarthritis in the feet and related conditions, please make an appointment with a member of our podiatry team by calling 020 8467 1910.