Sore feet after a long day? Try this quick stretch to flex and relax your foot muscles

I test a lot of walking shoes for Fit&Well's guide to the best walking shoes, which involves, predictably, a lot of walking. I try to cover at least 40,000 steps in each shoe, which can leave my feet feeling sore and the little muscles tight. I can only imagine how this compares to how your feet feel if you have a job that requires you to be on your feet all day.

So, I spoke to podiatrist Dr. Lori Grant, who told me her favorite way to stretch sore feet after a long period of standing was the toe towel scrunch.

About our expert

About our expert

Dr. Lori Grant, MD

Dr. Lori A. Grant is a foot and ankle surgeon and a board certified podiatrist. During her residency at Florida Hospital, she performed more than 1,200 surgical procedures. She is a specialist in sports-related foot and ankle injuries, diabetic foot care and traumatic injury. She regularly works with conditions such as bunions, heel pain, hammer toes and has completed multiple complex post-traumatic foot and ankle repairs.

How to do the toe towel crunch

According to Grant, this is one of the most effective stretches you can do because it helps with the tiny muscles of the feet.

"Put some type of washcloth or bathcloth on the floor and then use your toes to try to pick it up," says Grant. "Physical therapists will actually make you try to pick up marbles with your toes and try to move them side to side, but I don't think I would be able to do that. So, instead, I recommend you put a little terry cloth or washcloth on the floor and try to scrunch the toes or pull the toes up to try to pick that up. You’ll be flexing the ankle up and down and moving the ankle round and round and then scrunching the toes to pick things up."

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I tried the toe towel crunch—here's what I found

I tested this towel-scrunching stretch after a 10,000-step walk on hard Tarmac, and up and down hills. I found that the movement quickly released the tension in my ankles through the flexing and rotating of the joint, and I even felt the stretch in my calves. The flexing of my toes when gripping the washcloth also gave the ball and arch of my foot a pleasant stretch, and I also felt a stretch in the muscles across the top of my foot.

After five minutes of washcloth-scrunching fun, my feet felt far more relaxed and the balls of my feet felt less raw. My toes, which generally feel quite stiff, especially after a walk, moved more freely and the band of tension I usually feel across the top of my foot where the laces lie felt a lot better.

What else can you do to help your feet recover?

"As far as stretching goes, there are not too many that you can do," says Grant. "We talk about pointing and flexing your ankle— so point your foot down and then flex your ankle up—and you can also rotate the ankle round and round."

With limited stretching options, Grant mentioned some other techniques people find helpful. "Some people will ice or soak their feet," says Grant. "You can use ice after activity, or you could soak your feet in warm water and Epsom salts."

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