Exercises to Alleviate Pain From Plantar Fasciitis

Pain in the foot can be debilitating to everyday life. The more severe the pain, the more difficult it is to complete simple tasks. There are numerous exercises that assist with alleviating the pain from Plantar Fasciitis.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

In essence, Plantar Fasciitis is pain that resides in the heel portion of the foot. This heel pain is due to tissue inflammation around this area. Though this isn’t the only reason for heel pain, it is certainly the most common. The Plantar Fascia is tissue within the foot that becomes inflamed and creates this problem. This tissue basically supports the entire arch of the foot, which is why damage to the tissue can be so troublesome. Additional strains can even lead to small tears, which is why it’s so important to treat it with medicine and specific exercises straight away.

Plantar Fasciitis Exercises

The course of physical therapy treatment necessarily includes exercises. Thankfully, there are a wide variety of exercises available for relieving pain and additional issues caused from Plantar Fasciitis. These Plantar Fasciitis exercises revolve around simple stretching exercises that don’t place too much stress on the foot.

The first exercise is a basic one that focuses on several areas of the foot. Sit on a mat or floor and place your legs forward. Place a towel around the top of either foot. Throughout this exercise, your knee needs to be kept straight. With the towel wrapped securely, your toes should be pulled closer to your face. This position should be held for around half a minute. The exercise needs to be repeated around three times per foot.

The second exercise involves stretches and push-ups supported by a wall. This exercise is primarily used to enhance the health of the Achilles Tendon. This exercise involves two segments. The first segment requires you to keep the knee straightened, while the second segment requires the knee to be bent. The reason for this is because it’s the only way for both parts of the Achilles Tendon to be properly stretched. These exercises should be done twice every day. To begin the exercise, position your body in a manner that’s directly facing the wall.

Both hands should be placed on the wall in front of your shoulders. One foot should be placed around a dozen inches from the wall, with the other one somewhat behind. The front knee should be bent while the other one needs to be straightened. Hold this until the calf feels as though it’s tightened. Complete this exercise around ten times before taking a break. The entire exercise should now be repeated, but with a slight change of the back leg being positioned a little closer to the front leg with the knee bent. Perform the stretch ten times.

The third of these exercises is a relatively straightforward stair stretch that assists with healing multiple portions of your foot, including the Plantar Fascia. To begin this exercise, grab the stair railings with both hands and place your legs somewhat apart. Your heels should be positioned off the step, with the toes being pushed onto the step. Your knees should be kept straightened at all times throughout the exercise. Simply push your heels slowly downwards until the calf feels like it’s tightening. This position should be held for around 30-60 seconds before bringing the heels back up. The exercise should be repeated around half a dozen times, twice per day.

The final exercise involves dynamic exercises. You will need a rounded object, which can include everything from a soft tennis ball to a rolling pin. The arc of the foot needs to be rolled over this object. The exercise can be performed while sitting or standing, whatever your preference is. Try to move the arc in multiple directions with the object you’re using. This exercise must be performed for a few minutes, or until discomfort arises. The whole exercise needs to be performed two or three times every day.

If you perform each of these exercises on a regular basis, the pain and discomfort caused by this condition should start to ease up over time. This ensures that you won’t have to use medication, and can heal naturally.