Cool Your Burning Feet When Running Or Walking Top 12 Scientifically Proven Remedies

If you are suffering from burning feet when running or walking, then you’ve come to the right place.

There are a myriad of reasons why your feet burn while you walk or run. But treating them is as easy as following the step-by-step guide provided below.

Causes For Burning Feet while Running or Walking

The three main causes for burning feet when running or walking are:

Excessive Friction – The main reason you are experiencing hot feet when on the move is because of the friction caused between your feet, your shoes and the ground. Friction produces heat. Thus reducing friction will keep your feet cool when walking or running.
Inflammation of the feet – Inflammation and swelling cause the feet to run hotter than usual. This is another parameter that must be controlled if you want to move with cooler feet.
Lack of air circulation – Lack of air flow within the shoe will cause your feet to heat up. The tips on air flow will keep your feet working at lower temperatures.

How To Treat Burning Feet When Running Or Walking (Causes and Solutions)

6 Easy Fixes For Burning Feet When Running Or Walking:

Improving Blood Circulation In Your Feet – Lack of blood circulation in the feet can cause inflammation and excessive heat generation. This is an easy fix. Just make sure to massage the soles of your feet before and after a run. All you need is an inexpensive massage ball that you can buy on Amazon.com. To massage your feet, place the ball on the ground and roll your foot over the ball. When you notice a tight or tender spot, apply slightly more pressure to iron out any knots. Improving blood flow and eliminating scar tissue will leave your feet feeling rejuvenated and fresh.
Improving Air Circulation Around Your Feet – Having air move in and out of the shoes will help keep the feet dry. Make sure to wear shoes that have a breathable mesh upper. Leather uppers tend to inhibit air flow so stay away from these if your feet run hot. For added air flow, make sure to insoles with perforations.
Wearing The Right Type Of Socks – Socks play an integral part in the health of your feet. The right socks can keep you running cool and dry all day. Whereas the wrong socks will heat up your feet, leaving them wet and sweaty. Sweaty feet also cause the foot to slip within the shoe causing extra friction, blisters and chaffing. Running or walking with sweaty feet can also leave you open to a myriad of skin infections. In order to keep your feet cool and dry, I recommend wearing merino wool socks. Woolen socks to keep my feet dry you ask? Yes. Merino wool is a natural material that unlike cotton, wicks moisture away from the feet, thus keeping them dry. It also keeps the feet cool due to the added breathability in the structure of the thread. In fact, these same properties will also keep your feet warm and dry in the winter. It just doesn’t get any better. I recommend the X socks. They cost quite a bit – for a pair of socks. But when you consider the lifetime warranty that comes with them. This deal is truly a steal. An easy fix for a burning problem..
Wearing The Right Shoe Size – Wearing shoes that are too tight can cut-off blood circulation in the feet. A lack of blood circulation causes inflammation and heat. Make sure to wear shoes that have enough room for you to wiggle your toes in the toe box. When selecting a pair of shoes, make sure to have one thumb width space between the front of your toe and the front of your toe. This will ensure that your shoes are not too tight. It is also important not tie your shoe laces too tight. Many running and walking shoes have padded tongues that allow the wearer over tighten them. Tying your shoes too tight can also pinch nerves if you have high arches, thus causing Neuroma. Make sure that shoes hug your feet in a snug and comfortable manner. Wearing loose shoes are also major cause for heat generation. Foot slippage causes friction which generates a lot of heat, thus causing the burning sensation when on the move. Walking or running with loose shoes can also cause injury to the foot. So make sure you always get the right fit, especially if you have wider feet.
Checking Wear And Tear – Another cause for the burning sensation when walking or running is due to worn out shoes. Old shoes lack the cushioning required to walk or run on hard surfaces such as concrete. Shoes generally start to show wear and tear after about 500 miles. Repeatedly making knocking your feet on hard surfaces in worn out shoes will cause inflammation. Which causes excessive heat generation while walking or running.

Long term treatments for burning feet when running or walking:

Running Or Walking With Proper Gait – Running or walking with improper gait causes wear and tear to both your shoes as well as your feet. It also causes unnecessary friction within the shoe that is the cause of your hot feet. As a general guideline when walking, strike the ground with your heel, followed by your 5th and 1st metatarsals. The foot should then pronate slightly before the heel and toes lift off the ground. When running, landing lightly on the forefoot is important. But this can also lead to a lot of runners dragging their feet while striking the ground. Minimizing the dragging of your feet will reduce heat generated when running.
Fixing Overpronation (Flat Feet) – Pronation refers to the natural inward roll of the foot during the natural gait cycle. Everybody pronates to some degree while running or walking. But excessive pronation or overpronation can lead to a lot of injuries. Regardless, overpronation also causes hot spots in the shoes. This is because the feet are applying excessive pressure to certain parts of the shoe, thus creating friction. This causes overheating within the foot and the shoe, which then causes the feeling of burning feet when running or walking. Correcting overpronation is a matter of building the arches of the feet and wearing the right type of shoes or orthotics. Those with flat feet usually suffer from injuries related to overpronation. Our article on how to correct flat feet and overpronation might be of help.
Treating Skin Allergies – Sock and shoe materials can cause your allergies to start acting up. You will need to weed out the types of materials you are allergic to. Allergies can cause puffing or inflammation in the skin, thus contributing to hot feet. As much as possible using natural materials will help. Woolen socks are a blessing, they not only keep the feet warm in winter, but also cool in the summer.
Treating Skin Infections – Athletes foot is a skin infection that forms a scaly rash that itches and burns. People with sweaty feet are more susceptible to athletes foot. So keeping your feet dry is of utmost importance. Make sure to wear shoes that breathe. Also make sure to dry them out after every use. You will need to treat this infection with an athletes foot cream. Also wearing socks that wick moisture away from the feet will help contain the infection.
Treating Neuroma – Mortons Neuroma is a condition wherein a burning sensation is felt between the 3rd and 4th toes and the ball of the foot. This is caused due to swelling in the nerve caused by “pinching” or trauma to the nerve. Non surgical treatment for Mortons Neuroma include – using orthotics, wearing shoes that don’t pinch the toes together, icing the foot before and after activity. Anti-inflammatory drugs and injection therapy may also be prescribed if you visit a doctor.
Treating Neuropathy Or Nerve Damage – If you have diabetes or drink a lot of alcohol and are experiencing burning feet, stop reading here. This article on home remedies for peripheral neuropathy will give you all the insight you need on this condition.

Conslusion:

While having hot feet when on the move can be a hindrance to your daily activities, the fixes are easy.

Eliminating excessive friction, inflammation and lack of air circulation around the feet can help you get rid of burning feet when running or walking.