What can You do About it?
- Maintain a healthy weight. This reduces the stress placed on your plantar fascia.
- Use supportive shoes. Get shoes that are well made and fitted for your feet. Do not wear high heels or shoes that no longer have proper support and cushioning.
- Do foot and leg stretching exercises regularly. The exercise can help to stretch the plantar fascia, Achilles tendon and calf muscles.
Rehabilitation Exercises
1. Ball Roll
- Roll a baseball/tennis ball along your injured foot from the heel to the mid-arch.
2. Towel/Band Pickup
- With the heel on the ground, pick up a towel/band by curling your toes.
3. Towel Stretch
- Sit on a hard surface with the injured leg stretched out.
- Loop a towel around the ball of the foot and pull the towel toward your body until a comfortable stretch is felt.
4. Sitting Plantar Fascia Stretch
- Sit on a chair and cross one leg over the other knee.
- Grab and pull the toes towards yourself until you feel a comfortable stretch.
5. Calf Stretch
- Facing a wall, place your hands against the wall.
- Keep one foot behind with your heel on the floor.
- Slowly lean into the wall until you feel a stretch in the back of the calf.
6. Plantar Fascia Stretch
- Stand on the ball of your injured foot on a stair.
- Push the heel downwards towards the bottom step until you feel a stretch through the arch of your foot.
7. Heel Raise
- Balance and raise the body up onto the balls of your feet
