If you don’t know how to use Epsom salt for sore feet, read through this article about its benefits and how to use it in detail!
What is Epsom Salt
Magnesium sulfate, a chemical compound is commonly known as Epsom salt, named after the English town where it was first discovered. It is similar to table salt in appearance but has a bitter taste. The magnesium in Epsom salt is a trace mineral that is essential for our body. The health benefits of Epsom salt are due to the magnesium content in them. Magnesium is an important mineral essential for certain biochemical reactions that sustain our cardiovascular and neurological health. However, our diet does not provide us with enough of this mineral. Therefore, Epsom salt have been in the know for many years and is constantly becoming popular. Epsom salt dissolves in water and releases magnesium and sulfate ions.
These ions are said to penetrate our skin and benefit our health in many ways. Though scientific validation is yet to be done, more magnesium is purported to be absorbed by our body through our skin than from our diet.
Uses of Epsom Salt
Epsom salt in your bathwater helps relax your body and promotes sound sleep. It is said to draw toxins from our bodies. If you drink a solution of water and Epsom salt, it helps relieve constipation. Epsom salt baths help ease muscle soreness and cramps, which result from strenuous exercise or exertion, especially in athletes. These baths also ease body aches, reduce swelling and pain. It is especially useful to relieve pain in people with arthritis and fibromyalgia as they often show symptoms of magnesium insufficiency.
What are Sore Feet?
Foot soreness is discomfort or pain in the feet resulting from standing for too long, walking too much, running long distances like athletes, wearing ill-fitting shoes or sprains, strains, and trauma to the feet. Simple home remedies to treat sore feet include resting the feet, taking common pain medications, applying ice, elevating the feet, and soaking the feet in warm water.
You can soak your feet in warm water and add a tablespoon of Epsom salt to it as it helps relieve soreness and pain.
Epsom Salt for Sore Feet
Epsom salt has been used for hundreds of years to treat sore feet. If you suffer from an athlete’s foot, Epsom salt helps to dry the skin of the feet, thereby making the skin non-conducive for the fungus to grow. Magnesium absorbed through the skin reduces inflammation and relieves pain and stiffness associated with arthritis or gout. Epsom salt also exfoliates and cleanses the skin from bacteria, leaving it smoother, softer, and odor-free.
Epsom Salt Foot Soak
Fill a tub with warm water, preferably between 92F and 100F temperature, enough to come up to your ankles. Add ¾ cup of Epsom salt to the water. Place your feet in the tub and let them soak for about 30 minutes. Then, remove your feet from the water, dry them and apply a moisturizer to prevent excessive skin dryness.
Precautions
- Ensure that you buy Epsom salt meant for human use from pharmacies and health food stores.
- If you suffer from dry skin, avoid Epsom salt foot soaks, as they can leave your skin very dry and prone to cracks.
- Especially, people with diabetes should avoid any such treatments that may increase the risk of foot infection.
- If soreness, redness, pain, or swelling in the feet persists, seek medical help.