Millions of people suffer from foot aches, and the affliction is perhaps more aggravated at the end of winter when our feet have spent months in tight-fitting shoes. However, alternative therapies such as yoga may help relieve the pain.

In that vein, Beech Sandal Company has created new sandals which it claims deliver the necessary dose of precise massage during everyday activities.

The sandals feature four toe separators that provide a natural alignment of the 26 bones, 33 joints and hundreds of muscles and tendons in each foot.

According to the company, they allow feet to work in freedom while enforcing the yogic principle of spreading the toes to achieve optimal balance for grounding and proper body alignment.

“The toe spacers may assist the distribution of the force loads over the metatarsophalangeal joints, and it may re-educate the neuromuscular system to better stabilize those joints,” says Dr Claudio Carvalho, a sports medicine specialist.

“This, in turn, helps decrease pain in those joints,” he adds.

In addition to yoga, swollen and painful feet can also benefit from other health resources such as Epsom salt soaks, creams containing horse chestnut extract or massages that have been proven to promote healthy blood circulation.