Plantar Fasciitis Exercises

When the muscles in your calf are tight, they pull on the heel bone, making your plantar fascia very taut and prone to injury. To help loosen those muscles, take a towel or belt and loop it around the ball of your foot. Keeping your leg straight, gently pull towards your body until you feel a stretch in the lower part of your leg. Hold that for 30 seconds and repeat up to 5 times before taking your first step out of bed.

Placing a tennis ball on the ground and gently rolling it underfoot for a few minutes can help loosen up your plantar fascia, making it much less likely to become irritated. Put enough pressure on the ball to get a deep massage. You may feel some soreness, but back off if you feel any pain. Roll about 5-10 minutes.

For ice massage, freeze water in a small paper or polystyrene cup and then rub the ice over the painful heel, using a circular motion and moderate pressure for 5-10 minutes. In the same manner, rolling a frozen water bottle on the plantar surface of the foot can effectively reduce pain and inflammation.

Stretches targeted at the plantar fascia are particularly important. Passive dorsiflexion on the toes with simultaneous stretching of the Achilles tendon engages the windlass mechanism, providing subsequent symptom relief. Stretch and hold each position and add massage with your thumb for 30 seconds and repeat it to 5 times.

Click Here to Download PDF