Guide to Selecting Foot Massagers for Plantar Fasciitis

Many kinds of injuries can cause severe pain and discomfort to people, and one of these painful injuries is plantar fasciitis. This injury or disorder affects the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue that serves as a support for the arches of our feet. Plantar fasciitis occurs when there is not much support provided by the shoes for the feet’s arches, so the plantar fascia is strained because of how hard it works to offer the support that the shoes are lacking.

Fortunately, most cases of plantar fasciitis can be treated easily. For plantar fasciitis treatment, you would just need to stretch the affected areas gently while also massaging the heel and the middle of your feet’s soles. [1] In order to have a much more comfortable and convenient time massaging the areas affected by plantar fasciitis, you will need a foot massager. To know more, here is a guide for foot massagers and how to select the best ones for plantar fasciitis.

What is a Foot Massager?

simple foot massager

A foot massager, as its name already applies, is a type of massager that is specifically used for the feet. In order for a foot massager to effectively massage the foot, there are soft spikes or studs on the surface of the massager that apply pressure on the skin and muscles of the foot. 

The pressure applied by the studs or spikes can help the plantar fascia and other affected muscles to relax, which can then reduce pain and inflammation. In addition, a foot massager also helps improve blood circulation on the feet, and this is essential if you want your plantar fascia to heal much faster.

Many foot massagers are rolling, which basically means that the studs or spikes on the massagers would whenever you massage your feet in a forward and backward motion. However, there are also foot massagers that are powered by batteries or electricity, and these ones automatically put pressure on different areas of your feet.

What are the Different Types of Foot Massagers?

What are the Different Types of Foot Massagers

Foot massagers come in a variety of shapes or forms, and there are some massagers that have a different way of massaging your feet compared to others. Here are the different types of foot massagers that you should know about.

Rolling Foot Massager

wooden foot massager

The rolling foot massager is arguably one of the most common types of massagers for the feet, and it is also one of the cheapest. This type of massager features one or two rolling pins that have studs or spikes on their surface, and these pins are connected to a handle or frame. But there are also bigger rolling foot massagers that are less common, and these ones have more than four pins attached to their frame.

To use the common rolling foot massager, use one hand to hold onto the handle and then roll the pins on the bottom of your feet. For rolling foot massagers that don’t have a handle, you would need to just simply roll the pins on the floor using your foot. Apply gentle pressure on your feet using the rolling foot massager so that the studs or spikes will be more effective in relieving pain, discomfort, and inflammation on the plantar fascia.

1. Kneading Foot Massager

kneading foot massager

The kneading foot massager is usually an electronic massager that has spheres that automatically turn and move in different directions to knead or apply pressure on your feet. Almost all kneading foot massagers are bigger than the rolling foot massagers, so you would have to place a kneading foot massager on the floor, and then put your feet on the two slots on the top of the machine.

Most kneading foot massagers have adjustable pressure and speed, so you can control how hard the pressure applied on your feet is and how fast the spheres inside the massager move. If you want portability, you should get battery-powered kneading foot massagers that run on regular or rechargeable batteries. However, keep in mind that electric massagers are more effective in applying consistent pressure on different areas of your feet.

2. Air Compression Foot Massager

electric foot massager

The air compression foot massager is an electronic massager where compressed air is applied to your feet. This type of foot massager compresses air on numerous pockets underneath the cloth covering, and the compressed air would then act like the spheres you will see on kneading foot massagers since the air will move in different directions to apply pressure to more areas of the foot. Moreover, the compressed air will sometimes compress and decompress to simulate kneading for the tissues and muscles of the feet.

A lot of compression foot massagers are battery-powered, and most of them have rechargeable batteries. The downside to this type of foot massager is that it doesn’t provide the same level of pressure as the kneading foot massagers, although it is a gentler option if you don’t want to put a lot of pressure on your sore feet.

3. Water Jet Foot Massager

water jet foot massager

 

The water jet foot massager uses heated water to provide comfort and relaxation for your feet and lower legs. The heated water in the foot massager can help in reducing soreness and inflammation on the feet. However, many water jet foot massagers also have pins and spheres at the bottom so that the sole of your feet, particularly the plantar fascia, will be able to get a massage to improve blood circulation and reduce pain.

Water jet foot massagers have temperature and pressure controls, and these can be used to determine how warm the water inside the tank is and also to customize how much pressure the pins and sphere at the bottom of the tank applies to your feet.

Tips for Selecting Foot Massagers for Plantar Fasciitis

Tips for Selecting Foot Massagers for Plantar Fasciitis

Due to how many foot massagers are already on the market, it can be difficult for many people to decide on what brand, type, and model of foot massages they should buy. In this section of the guide, we will give you a few tips that we hope will be helpful in making it easier for you to find the perfect or most suitable foot massager based on your preferences. Here are some tips for selecting foot massagers for plantar fasciitis.

1. Check the Features of the Foot Massager

foot massager with buttons

The first thing you need to do when selecting foot massagers is to check every feature and detail that the massagers have, which can be done by visiting the website of the brands that offer massagers or by simply reading the description for each massager in an online store or marketplace. Many people want foot massagers that feature adjustable pressure so that they can customize the lightness or the hardness of the pressure applied by the pins or the spheres on the massager. However, you may also want to find massagers that have wireless capability, meaning that they can have a wireless remote controller or they can be controlled through an app.

2. Find Foot Massagers that Have Multiple Settings

If you are looking for electric or electronic foot massagers, then you should find the ones that provide you with multiple settings. Besides adjustable pressure, you may also want to look for massagers that have customizable patterns for their pins or spheres, and this feature is suitable for people that want to apply more pressure in specific areas of their foot. With customizable patterns, the movement or direction of the spheres or pins in the massager changes, so they can go on a circular pattern, side-to-side, or in a forward-backward motion, and each of these patterns has strengths and weaknesses.

3. Look for Foot Massagers that Have Positive Reviews

reading online reviews through a smartphone

For the best of the best foot massagers, you need to read reviews so that you can see which ones are considered trusted and reliable according to many people that have tried and tested the foot massagers. These reviews would give you the pros and cons of the foot massagers they are reviewing, and they may also tell you more about certain features that weren’t written in the official descriptions or documents of the massagers.

Through reviews, you will be able to determine which foot massagers have pros that outweigh their cons, which will then help you in deciding which ones are the most suitable for your needs. Before buying a foot massager, check for the reviews of it first and see if it has positive feedback from customers or owners.

Check out some of these foot massagers that have plenty of positive reviews online:

  • ChiFit Reflexology Foot Massager Tool this simple foot massager features just one rolling pin that has multiple studs. All you have to do to massage the bottom of your foot with this tool is to simply roll it on the floor using your foot.
  • Breo Foot Massager Machine this machine provides different types of massages for the feet, like kneading, compression, rolling, and scraping. In addition, there is also a heating function on the machine that keeps your feet warm to improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation.
  • Tranqwil Foot Massager Machine another foot massager machine that offers heat therapy for your feet. Also, this foot massager gives a deep kneading massage that is effective in helping your plantar fascia to heal faster with reduced pain and soreness.
  • Nekteck Foot Massager a foot-massaging machine that has several spheres at the top that provide ample pressure for the sole of your feet. The machine has a heating function that can help in making the muscles of your feet recover faster after exercising or playing a sport. What’s also interesting about this foot massager is that it can also be used to massage your back if you are experiencing back pain.
  • TheraFlow Foot Massager (Large) this is a very simple rolling foot massager that features ten rolling pins, with five pins for each foot. The first eight pins feature short spikes that offer gentle pressure on the feet, while the last two pins have bigger studs that are designed to give more pressure on the feet’s soles so that the massager can reach the plantar fascia better.
  • TheraFlow Foot Massager (Single) if you want a smaller version of the popular TheraFlow Foot Massager (Large) that you can bring anytime and anywhere, you can check out this single massager roller from the same brand that features just one rolling pin. The single rolling pin has soft spikes that helps alleviate pain and soreness on the soles of your feet.

Pick Massagers that Offer Portability

If you want a foot massager that you can bring anywhere, you should buy a massager that offers portability. Of course, the most portable foot massager is the rolling foot massager, as it is significantly smaller compared to other types, and you can easily put it inside a bag. However, the rolling foot massager may sometimes not be enough to give the best massage for your feet with plantar fasciitis, so you will really need to bring a bigger foot massager if you plan to treat the plantar fasciitis while on an outdoor trip.

Choose the foot massager that is battery-powered so that it will still work even if it is not connected to an electrical outlet. There are foot massagers that have rechargeable batteries, so these ones are also suitable for you if you don’t want the hassle of replacing batteries every once in a while.

And this is a simple guide to foot massagers and what to select when it comes to features and reliability. With a foot massager that works effectively, you will be able to treat your plantar fasciitis with ease and get it healed faster.

References

[1] Sherrell, Zia. (2022, October 21). What is plantar fasciitis massage? Medical New Today. Retrieved January 18, 2023, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/plantar-fasciitis-massage