HighHeels or Not, Here Are Several Ways to Ease ThePressure On Feet, Legs and Back from Standing

Tis the season for holiday partying! Those dreary days of Januaryand February will be here soon enough! It's great to see friends,spend relaxed time with co-workers and most of all, I feel like mywife and I enjoy more quality time alone while driving to and fromall those parties! So as far as I'm concerned, bring it on!

It's about this point in December, however, when I start hearinglittle a whining from some fellow partygoers. A frequent complaintis all the standing that is often involved. Expanded cocktail"hours," parties at homes with too few sitting areas, and longwaits in a crowded restaurant bar while waiting for your table alladd up to a lot of standing.

So, as a podiatrist and a surgeon who spends hours at a timestanding in one spot, there are a couple of things I can suggest tomy fellow party-goers. (BTW, in January there will be a blog devotedto people, like nurses, waitresses, chefs, pharmacists, etc. who do alot of standing on the job. This blog is for non-professional, partystanders.)

If standing for long periods is troubling to you, the first thing toexamine are your shoes. Partying is hard on the feet, particularlyfor those wearing six-inch heels (frequent visitors to this blogalready know what I'm going to say about that).

You might have noticed in our offices and on our Web site,(www.feetonline.com),we only sell an amazing brand known for running shoes. Except for mybedroom slippers and Tuxedo dress shoes, I only wear one brand ofrunning shoes shoes, as do my kids, in-laws, etc. The brand isAetrex. After years of researching the subject and rejecting dozensof shoe designs, I chose Aetrex for its state-of-the-art design andtechnology. These shoes cradle and protect your feet better than anyother. (Give me a call if you'd like to learn more.)

Feet are not the only things that suffer from standing for longperiods. Leg and back pain are frequently involved. Prolongedstanding is also attributed to more serious, long-term ailments likevaricose veins and more circulatory problems.

So, what can be done? Here are a few suggestions that might help asyou head off to the next set of festivities:

1. Posture: Think of your spine as a stack of small blocks. These blocks need to be in a perfectly vertical line or they willwant to fall, in which case your muscles work overtime to keep youstanding up straight. Perfect posture is when your muscles are veryrelaxed in a straight posture. Your chest is slightly forward,shoulders are back, the head is up, hips tucked in and your feet areevenly spaced with equal weight on each foot. You don't have tostand like a guard at Buckingham Palace throughout the entire party,but good posture will help.

2. Move: Whether you're sitting or standing for long periods,the key is to move every few minutes to keep the bloodcirculating. Walk to the bar, to the door for fresh air, to thehostess to check on wait time for your table, etc. This keeps theblood circulating and (momentarily) lessens the pressure on yourfeet.

3. Shift Your Weight: This will give each foot a few moments ofrelief. Rest one foot on a bar stool rung. Lean against the bar ora wall for a few minutes. Again, those few moments you can take thepressure off your feet will help.

4. Flex: If you're a dancer, sneak in a small demi-plie(small bending of the knees) and releve (raising up on your toes). Men often "rock" forward and back. If you can sneak outside anddo a few deep knee bends, you'll really feel better! Again, allthis circulates the blood.

5. Slip Off Your Shoes: Over the years, I've caught my wifedoing this at parties. She's so good at it, no one even noticesas she gently steps out of one heel, stands shoeless for a fewmoments, then slips the shoe back on and does the other. She saysthat doing this on a cool tile or marble floor also helps to cooloff her burdened feet.

6. Share A Seat: This can be fun! If your spouse or datesnatches a free chair first, go be cozy together! Guys wouldn'tdo this, but I've often seen female friends share a bar stool,each sort of half sitting, half standing for some extended relieffrom standing.

7. Support Hose or Support Socks: This, of course, requiresplanning ahead, but if you're off to a wedding reception orfunction where you know there will be standing, women might trysupport hose and men support socks. The key is to have plenty ofwiggle room in the toe area – reducing the blood flow to your feetwill cause problems. Go a size up if you need to.

Like many problems, it's no one thing you do that helps to lessenor resolve the

problem, but a combination of things. So try a few of these ideas asyou head out for your next "standing" event.

And, by the way, from all of us at Snyder Stuart Podiatry Centers,Happy Holidays!