Many individuals earn their living by working as food servers, waiters, or waitresses. If you work as a food server, you are no doubt familiar with the fact that food servers spend the majority of the day working on their feet. Whether you are walking to and from the kitchen or carrying heavy dishes of food to tables, you spend a significant amount of the work day putting pressure on your feet. If you are not diligent about maintaining a foot care routine, you might be setting yourself up for a foot injury or condition. First, ensure that you are wearing the right kind of footwear on the job. Instead of wearing shoes with high heels that can increase your risk of falling during your shift, wear shoes with low, wide heels to provide stability. Second, since food servers spend such long amounts of time working on their feet, be sure to take the time you need to relax and pamper your feet. You may choose to give yourself a foot massage or to receive one professionally. These foot massages can relax muscles and ligaments in the feet, preventing tightening that could lead to injuries. Third, it is a good idea to be diligent about keeping your feet clean. For example, you might wash your feet to remove damaging bacteria, and pat them dry completely. Food servers ought to take the health of their feet seriously. If you work in the food service industry, contact a podiatrist to understand the best way to care for your feet.

While working on the feet, it is important to take the proper care of them. For more information about working on your feet, contact Dr. Ronald K. Olm from Grand Traverse Foot & Ankle Center. Our doctor will treat your foot and ankle needs.

Working on Your Feet

Standing on your feet for long periods of time can cause stress and pain in your feet. Your whole body may experience change in terms of posture, back pain, bunions, callouses and or plantar warts. There are ways to avoid these conditions with proper foot care, smart choices and correct posture.

Positive Changes

Negative heeled shoe – Choosing this shoe type places the heel slightly lower than the ball of the foot. These are great for overall foot health. Find shoes that fit you correctly.

Go barefoot – Our feet were not designed to be enclosed for all hours of the day. Try to periodically expose your feet to air.

Eliminate Pain

Foot Exercises – Performing simple exercises, incorporating yoga and doing stretches are beneficial. This will allow increased blood flow to the area and muscles of the foot.

Achilles tendon – Stretching the foot out flat on the floor will relax the calf muscles and tendon. These exercises can be performed almost anywhere. Make sure you add these exercises to your daily regimen. 

With a little bit of this information and knowing more about foot health, you will notice changes. Foot stretches and proper footwear will help with pain and prevent further issues.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact one of our offices located in Traverse City and Kalkaska, MI . We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot and ankle needs.