If you suffer from foot and leg pain and have tried the conventional routes to get a solution to your problem without any success it might be time to start looking at things from a different angle. The fact is that if your doctor or podiatrist has been unable to solve your discomfort you might want to check if you are deficient in the essential mineral magnesium. Taking magnesium for foot pain can be a great solution to certain foot health problems and here are the reasons why.
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What Is Magnesium and Why Do We Need it?
Magnesium is a mineral that is found in our bodies that helps many essential processes and keeps us staying healthy. Magnesium is essential in helping certain organs, muscles and nerves function properly. It is also found in our bones, tissues and there is even a small amount, around 1%, that is in our blood.
Having sufficient magnesium levels is important because any magnesium deficiency can cause problems. It is well known that low magnesium can impact our blood sugar levels and cause diabetes, it can impact our bone health and cause osteoporosis and it can also cause heart disease.
From a foot health perspective, a magnesium deficiency can impact muscle function in the legs and feet. Low magnesium can cause foot and leg cramps for example which are incredibly painful. As magnesium is also involved in nerve function you could also experience numbness or tingling. It is also been proven in a study that magnesium deficiency can be partly responsible for foot ulcers in patients with Diabetes.
Signs of Low Magnesium
The problem is that if you do have a magnesium deficiency it can be hard to spot. As there is only a very small amount in our blood a normal blood test might not always pick it up. There are however plenty of other signs that you can look out for that might give you some clues.
Some of the early signs of magnesium deficiency you can look out for include:
- Tiredness
- Muscle Cramps
- Twitching Muscles
- Loss of Appetite
- Nausea
- Osteoporosis
- Irregular Heartbeat
Whilst low magnesium levels can be the cause of many of these symptoms it is important to involve a healthcare professional to diagnose any problems and to recommend the appropriate treatment. This is because many of the symptoms can also be attributed to other health issues.
Why Have I Got Low Magnesium Levels?
There can be a number of medical reasons why you might be experiencing lower than normal magnesium levels. It is well known that Diabetes and Coeliac diseases can both cause a problem with the proper absorption of magnesium within the body.
You may also be experiencing a problem because of the food you are consuming and your diet which may not have enough of the essential vitamins and minerals that you need. Certain medication taken over the longer term can also create a problem. PPI’s for example are known to impact magnesium levels so if you are on them for the long term it’s important to talk to a medical professional to find out what you can do to stop being deficient in this essential mineral.
You could not however be alone if you were deficient in magnesium as it is estimated that around 70% of the people in the US and Europe are not getting enough of this mineral to support good health.
Foods for Magnesium Deficiency
One major issue why people may be experiencing a magnesium deficiency is because of the foods that they are eating. Part of this problem is down to modern farming and food processing methods which have removed some of the nutrients from finished products that you might buy in a shop.
Magnesium supplements could potentially help to make up the shortfall but they do have side effects so it makes sense to start eating foods that are rich in the mineral first.
It is well known that fortified cereals, leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds can all help to give you what your body needs and improve the quality of your diet. Pumpkin seeds are incredibly rich in magnesium and cashew nuts which are easy to eat can also help.
Does Magnesium Help With Foot Pain?
Increasing your magnesium intake is therefore important if you are experiencing foot pain that you haven’t resolved using other methods. Magnesium for foot pain could be a solution to everything from muscle cramps to plantar fasciitis and inflammation.
There is evidence to show for example that magnesium supplements can reduce muscle soreness and improve performance. As magnesium supplements and foods containing high magnesium are available easily it makes sense to use them, with a medical professionals advice if needed, to see if they make a difference.
Magnesium Deficiency and Foot and Leg Cramps
One major area where magnesium is often advertised as being helpful is with regards to foot and leg cramps. There are huge amounts of magnesium supplements and sprays that are on the market that are supposed to help the problem but do they actually help the symptoms of muscle cramps and soothe those tight sore muscles or are they a waste of your time?
There have actually been plenty of studies done on magnesium supplements with patients who have been suffering from leg cramps and the results appear to show that they tend to be no better than a placebo. Whilst magnesium supplements are relatively cheap and plentiful you may be wasting your money using them if the foot and leg cramps aren’t being helped.
Remember that there are many reasons why people experience leg cramps. They can be caused by strained muscles, dehydration, pregnancy, medication and high blood pressure as an example. There may be vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well but it can be hard to discover unless you have a blood test from a medical expert.
Magnesium and Plantar Fasciitis
Another major source of foot pain is plantar fasciitis which causes problematic symptoms that can be difficult to shift. This foot problem is caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia which is a band of tissue that runs from the heel to the toes.
When the plantar fascia tissue is inflamed it tends to cause heel pain which creates difficulty walking, running or doing basic exercise. There are many ways that the pain from this inflammatory disorder can be helped. You can use an arch support to help keep the foot in the correct position. Alternatively, you can do stretches or use a stretching device to help the pain. Stretching the fascia is known to help ease the pain which is why this rocker is a great treatment for the problem. But what about if you could help your foot health by using magnesium?
If you have a magnesium deficiency then your normal muscle function can become impaired leading to this inflammatory condition. If your muscles are too tight and not working the way they should the subsequent contraction could be causing you pain.
A good way to help improve muscle function and to let the muscle relax again
Epsom Salt and Foot Pain
Plantar fasciitis and leg cramps are of course just one source of foot pain but there are many other ways you can experience painful feet. Our feet can feel uncomfortable or sore because of an infection, because of foot swelling, cracks and hard skin, arthritis or simply because we have been standing on them all day. Your foot health can be impacted by a myriad of problems but one great treatment is using Epsom salt to make a difference.
Epsom salt is actually a compound called magnesium sulfate which is made up of magnesium, oxygen and sulfur. To the naked eye, it looks like table salt but it actually is a product that is used as a bath salt to help relax muscles and heal the body.
Using Epsom salt as a foot soak is commonplace as the heat from the water combined with the salt itself helps to relax the muscles in the feet and reduce any inflammation. Many electric foot spas are actually made so that Epsom salt can be used in the spa without damaging it.
Epsom salt treatment using a foot actually helps not just with foot relaxation but with a whole host of 
Epsom salt can also help to soften your skin which is important if you suffer from corns and calluses. When it is added to a foot bath it can help to make your skin easier to exfoliate with a foot file.
Epsom salt can also be used as a treatment for fungal foot infections, it can help with foot odor and it has been known to alleviate the pain of gout. So magnesium for foot pain in the form of Epsom salt really is a bit of a wonder product.
Best Magnesium Supplements for Foot Pain
If you feel that you do have a magnesium deficiency and would like to increase your intake with supplements then what should you be buying? Looking for quality products that have this mineral as well as associated vitamins can make a difference in creating an effective treatment or still suffering.
If you are looking for supplements then it is well known that magnesium citrate is one of the easiest ways to take this mineral as it is more easily absorbed. Now Supplements Magnesium Citrate comes in a capsule form to make it simple and easy to swallow. This particular bottle has 12o capsules and the recommended dose is 3 a day.
Magnesium supplements don’t just come in capsules but also in powder form as well. Many people prefer their magnesium treatment this way because it is easier to swallow. We love this Natural Vitality Magnesium Powder because it comes in lots of different flavors to make it easier to drink. If you were to drink it without the flavor it wouldn’t be such a pleasant experience.
Just add half a teaspoon of powder to a glass, let it fizz, stir it in and then drink. This particular make states that it is ok to take this supplement with our without food.
In addition to capsules and powder, you can even get magnesium as a supplement treatment as a liquid.
Liquid magnesium is one of the simplest ways to take this supplement because it is also much more easily absorbed into the body than a capsule or tablet so it should work faster. Good State Ionic Magnesium is a good product that you can use.
Finally don’t forget that you can take magnesium along with other vitamins and minerals to improve your health. As magnesium is sometimes better absorbed and works better with other vitamins and minerals you might consider a supplement that helps with more than one issue.
As an example, calcium and magnesium are often taken together to help with bone health. If you are looking at magnesium for foot pain related to osteoporosis this might be a better supplement choice.
Vitamin D can also be taken with magnesium because it helps the body to absorb calcium which works with the supplement itself. Vitamin D plays a part in helping to keep your muscles healthy which is important when you are dealing with foot pain problems.
You can also take magnesium for foot pain together with vitamin B, Zinc, potassium and Iron. It is just a matter of finding the right combination for problems related to your foot health. If in doubt choose a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement that contains them all.
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