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Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of foot pain that is also very treatable!
If you have ever had foot pain you know how debilitating it can be. When just walking or weight-bearing causes a sharp stabbing pain in your foot the thought of getting out of bed or a chair seems impossible. Luckily plantar fasciitis is very treatable with some simple home exercises.
If these don’t work within a week or so stop by your neighborhood Lattimore PT for some excellent individualized care and manual therapy to help you on your road to recovery!
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis usually presents itself as a sharp pain on the bottom of the foot or at the base of the heel. Plantar fasciitis is caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia which is a connective tissue that provides stability in the bottom of the foot. This pain is usually most severe with the first couple of steps of walking and will gradually loosen up again during activity.
How should you treat your plantar fasciitis?
The key to treating plantar fasciitis is calming down inflammation, improving/maintaining mobility, and working to improve foot/ankle mechanics. We are going to include four important stretches and one soft tissue/massage drill you can do. We recommend a 10–15-second hold and 10 reps of each of the stretches listed.
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Plantar fascia stretch: gently pull your ankle and toes back toward you. You should feel a stretch on the bottom of your foot.
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Calf Belt Stretch: loop a towel or belt around your foot and gently pull your foot back towards you while keeping your knee straight
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Heel slides for dorsiflexion: sitting on the edge of a chair slide your foot back towards you while keeping your heel flat on the floor.
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Wedge Stretch: while keeping your heel on the floor place your toes up on the edge of a book, board, etc. Keep your knee straight and stand up tall and slowly fall forward into the wall. Stretch one leg at a time.
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Plantar fascia rolling: using a tennis ball, golf ball, etc. roll the foot over the ball for a couple of minutes (2–3 minutes) after stretching. Find sore/tender spots and focus on those applying a firm yet tolerable pressure.
While these tips are the beginning treatments for plantar fasciitis we recommend if these do not help within 5–7 days of trying them call 1–888-PT-ROCHS to schedule an evaluation with one of our highly trained and licensed physical therapists to get you back on your road to recover!
