Plantar fasciitis is a condition that causes heel pain and can affect individuals of all ages and activity levels, although it is more commonly seen in runners and those who spend extended periods on their feet.
Research has shown that both strengthening and stretching exercises, including Achilles tendon stretches, can significantly reduce pain and improve walking ability in people with plantar fasciitis.
If you have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis or are experiencing heel pain, a physical therapist can create a personalized treatment plan for you. This may include:
- Assessing your walking pattern and providing gait training.
- Instructing you on when to apply ice for pain and inflammation.
- Applying temporary taping to your foot for short-term relief.
- Recommending shoe inserts, supportive footwear, or a night splint.
- Teaching you specific stretching and strengthening exercises.
Physical therapists are experts in movement and can enhance your quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed exercises. You can directly contact a physical therapist for an evaluation. To find a physical therapist in your area, visit Find a PT.
Here are six exercises recommended by physical therapists that you can try at home:
- Plantar Fascia Massage
- Sit in a chair or stand with one foot resting on a small ball or frozen water bottle (ice can help reduce inflammation).
- Roll the ball or bottle gently forward and backward under your foot, starting just below the ball of your foot and ending just before the heel.
- Repeat the rolling motion slowly 10 times for each foot, performing two sets per foot.
- Do this exercise once daily.
- Heel Raise
- Stand with the balls of your feet at the edge of a step.
- Allow your heels to hang off the edge and slowly lower them just below the step, feeling a stretch in your calf muscle.
- Rise up onto the balls of your feet and then lower again.
- Repeat this movement 10 times, resting between sets.
- Complete two sets of this exercise.
- Do this exercise once daily.
- Floor Sitting Ankle Inversion With Resistance
- Sit upright on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, ensuring no hip movement during the exercise.
- Cross your left leg over your right leg and secure an elastic exercise band around your upper left foot, looping it around the bottom of your lower right foot. Hold the end of the band in your hand.
- Rotate your left ankle inward, moving your upper foot away from the lower foot, and then return it slowly to the starting position.
- Repeat this movement 10 times for each foot, performing two sets per foot.
- Do this exercise once daily.
- Seated Toe Towel Scrunches
- Sit upright in a chair with one foot resting on a towel, spreading your toes.
- Curl your toes to scrunch and draw the towel toward you.
- Repeat this scrunching motion 10 times, performing two sets per foot.
- Do this exercise once daily.
- Seated Plantar Fascia Stretch
- Sit in a chair and cross one leg over the opposite knee, with the ankle on top.
- Hold your ankle with one hand and your toes with the other hand, gently pulling your toes backward until you feel a stretch in the bottom of your foot.
- Hold this position for 20 seconds and repeat three times for each foot.
- Do this exercise once daily.
- Wall-Facing Calf Stretch
- Stand facing a wall, with your hands flat against the wall at arm’s length.
- Keep both feet flat on the floor and extend one leg straight backward, bending the front leg until you feel a stretch in the calf of the back leg.
- Hold this stretch for 20 seconds and repeat three times for each leg.
- Do this exercise once daily.