Recommended Plantar Fasciitis Stretches

If you’ve heard of plantar fasciitis, you’ll know that it can be a difficult condition to manage.

Unfortunately, plantar fasciitis is an incredibly common condition. You’ll want to know if you’ve got it, sooner rather than later, so you can be prepared to manage the symptoms.

Here’s a look at what it is, the signs and symptoms of it, and how you can stretch your foot if you think you have it.

This is information to get you started and by no means a comprehensive list. Book in with a physiotherapist or healthcare professional if you think you have plantar fasciitis, so they can provide you with an individual treatment plan.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

If you walk, stand, hike, or run frequently you’re at risk of developing plantar fasciitis.

Simply put, plantar fasciitis is a repetitive strain injury that affects one or both of your feet, causing discomfort in the arch and/or heel of the foot.

You’ll find suggestions for different causes of developing plantar fasciitis, such as over-pronation (rolling your foot inwards) or heel spurs to name a few. However, to confuse matters, there are cases of supination, the opposite of pronation (excessive arch), who also suffer from plantar fasciitis. Hard surfaces can exacerbate this condition along with standing for long periods of time. This, unfortunately, means the jury is out on why this problem occurs. It is likely there are a number of different reasons which add to these problems occurring.

Now, let’s look at some signs and symptoms of this agitating disorder.

Signs and Symptoms

One of the most common symptoms of plantar fasciitis is morning pain. As soon as you step out of bed, your foot will hurt when you take your first step.

It may be brief, but take heed of the pain; it could come back to haunt you as the day wears on!

Pain, while standing or climbing a flight of stairs, is another common set of symptoms.

How can you relieve this pain once it starts? As we’ve suggested above, make an appointment with your podiatrist or physiotherapist to get an individual plan. We’d certainly suggest getting it sorted sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, you could be trying out some stretches.

More on that next.

Recommended Stretches

If you think you have a case of some plantar fasciitis foot pain, stretching is something that’s easy to try.

One suggestion is that tight calves may be a part of the problem.

Loosen up your calves with a stretch like this:

• Standing facing a wall with your affected foot an inch or more away from the wall
• Keeping your foot flat on the ground, bend your knee to try and touch the wall. If you don’t feel a stretch in the calf, move your foot further away from the wall.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat 5 times.
• For a slightly different stretch feeling, move the foot so it faces outwards or inwards, repeating the above stretch.

If you stretch your calves on a regular basis already, try this stretch below that also targets the foot.

• Start by finding a chair to sit on, preferably one that’s at a normal distance from the floor.
• Keep one leg in a seated position while crossing your other leg (the affected one) over it.
• Gently pull your big toe towards your ankle and hold for 30 seconds.
• Repeat 5 times and throughout the day if needed.

An alternative way of stretching the toes and calf together is to put the toes against a step and then lunge forwards, as shown in the photos below:

Plantar fasciitis is a pesky and painful condition.

If you’re experiencing pain, stretches can go some way to help.

Bonus massage

If you’ve got a tennis ball lying around you can use it to massage under your foot. Place your foot on the ball and move it around in different directions. This is a great one to try even if you’ve not got any pain.

Not the end of the story:

There can be many causes of plantar fasciitis. Be wary of someone who tells you they can ‘cure’ you. The reasons for getting this problem are wide and varied. Certainly, you want to nip it in the bud as this kind of problem has a tendency to linger. It’s likely there are a number of different problems that are adding the bigger problem.

The stretches suggested above are a starting point and most definitely aren’t the be-all and end-all of treatment options. we’re wanting to give an overview of the issue and a starting point for trying something.

If in doubt, get it checked out

If in any doubt, book in to see a friendly physio or podiatrist who will confirm (or not) whether they think it’s plantar fasciitis and provide a plan for you to improve the situation.

Remember, don’t hesitate to see your doctor if you have any medically related questions!

Questions?

Trying out different exercises is key to improving and maintaining the body’s flexibility, which in turn can help with recruiting muscles efficiently.

If you’ve got any questions on the above, then please let us know (click for contact details).

Remember – Listen to Your Body!

Please remember to listen to your body. Get any aches and pains checked out sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer:

As with all information given for exercises and exercise programs, when using our exercise videos or information, please use your common sense and don’t do anything that will hurt you. By performing any fitness exercises, you are performing them at your own risk. PhysioFit Health will not be responsible or liable for any injury or harm you sustain as a result of information shared on our website or YouTube channel. This includes emails, videos, and text. Thanks for your understanding.